s 


I    No. 


ft 


PROPERTY    OF 


1  HENRYK.  ENGLISH 

INDIANAPOLIS,  IND. 


* 


M  E  M  0  1  It 


OF 


SYLVESTER  SCOVEL,  D.D. 


LATE 


PRESIDENT  OF  HANOVER  COLLEGE,  IA. 


AND  FORMERLY  DOMESTIC    MISSIONARY'  AND  MISSIONARY  AGENT 
TN  THE  WEST. 


.        . 



BY  JAMES  WOOD,  D.  D. 

PROFESSOR  NEW  ALBAJTY  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


NEW  ALBANY: 

JOHN  B.  ANDEBSON,  PUBLISHER. 
1851. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  Dis 
trict  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the  District  of  Indiana,  by  JOHN  B.  AN 
DERSON,  Proprietor,  in  the  year  1851. 


HULLS  &  SHANNON,  PRINTERS, 

8*  FOUETH  STREET,  LOUISV1LLB. 


DEDICATION. 


TO    THE 


"Inmttj  nf  lUliginns  3ni|um}/r  of  Uaironrr  Cnlkgt,  3n< 

BY  WHOSE  REQUEST,  AND  FOR  WHOSE  SPECIAL  BENEFIT 

CTljia  fHrmoir  Ijas  fetcit  prepare li, 

St  is  note  1>  rspc  rtf  ullg  Dr^tratrt), 

t?n    1 1 1  t  r     S  i  n  r  r  r  r    JfrienD,    t  f)  r 

*  AUTHOR. 


M15S954 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  1.  A  notice  of  hU  early  life  and  preparation  for  the  gospel 

ministry. 

CHAPTER  II.  His  labors  as  a  missionary  and  pastor. 
CHAPTER  III.  Hi*  agency  for  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  in  the 

Western  States. 

CHAPTER  IV.  His  presidency  of  II  mover  College. 
CHAPTER  V.  His  last  illness,  &e. 
APPENDIX,   containing   thoughts   on   Missions  and    Education  in  the 

West. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  writer  of  the  following  brief  memoir  became  ac 
quainted  with  the  subject  of  it  in  1 822,  at  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J.  Circumstances  contributed 
to  their  frequent  intercourse,  and  to  an  intimacy  which 
continued  till  they  left  that  institution.  They  were  exam 
ined  and  licensed  to  preach  by  the  same  Presbytery,  and 
at  the  same  meeting ;  having  been  classmates  during  their 
theological  course.  Soon  after  this  they  occupied  different 
fields  of  labor,  and  seldom  met  for  more  than  twelve  years. 
At  the  beginning  of  1 837,  they  were,  by  the  providence 
of  God  brought  together  again,  and  their  former  intimacy 
was  renewed.  From  that  time  till  his  decease,  a  period  of 
twelve  years  and  a  half,  they  were  often  in  each  other's 
society,  and  enjoyed  the  pleasure  and  benefit  of  mutual 
counsels  and  prayers.  This  circumstance  was  doubtless 
the  principal  reason  for  the  request  made  to  the  author  by 
the  Society  of  Religious  Inquiry,  of  Hanover  College,  to 
prepare  a  memoir  of  his  life. 

Several  causes  have  produced  unexpected  delay  in  its 
publication.  It  is  now  offered  to  the  Christian  public  as  an 
expression  of  personal  friendship  for  the  deceased,  and  as 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

a  tribute  to  great  moral  worth,  and  ministerial  diligence 
and  usefulness.  It  is  presented  also  with  the  hope  that  it 
may  be  instrumental  in  quickening  the  zeal  of  the  church 
in  that  "work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love'*  for  which  our 
worthy  friend  and  Christian  brother  was  eminently  distin 
guished.  The  cause  of  Domestic  Missions  which  he  labored 
assiduously  to  promote  for  many  years,  is  not  second  in 
importance  to  any  other  object  of  Christian  benevolence ; 
and  he  who  spends  his  life  and  exhausts  his  energies  in 
order  to  advance  it,  will  find  an  ample  reward  for  his  toil 
and  self-denial,  not  only  in  the  moral  and  social  benefits 
conferred  upon  our  country,  but  also  in  the  priceless  spirit 
ual  blessings  which  he  will  be  the  instrument  of  communi 
cating  to  his  fellow  men. 


MEMOIR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   NOTICE   OF   HIS   EARLY   LIFE    AND     PREPARATION    FOR    TIIE 
GOSPEL    MINISTRY. 

Dr.  Sylvester  Scovel  was  the  youngest  son  of 
intelligent  and  pious  parents,  who  were  born  in 
the  State  of  Connecticut  and  died  at  Albany,  N. 
Y.  Both  of  them  lived  to  an  advanced  age. 
His  father  was  a  farmer.  He  possessed  great 
energy  in  business,  by  which  he  acquired  a  com 
petence  for  the  support  of  his  family  in  a  respec 
table  style  of  living.  He  was  always  cheerful, 
and  the  delight  of  those  who  knew  him.  As  he 
was  happy  in  life,  so  he  was  also  in  death.  His 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Spencer,  sprang 
from  one  of  the  first  families  in  her  native  State. 
She  was  beautiful  in  her  form  and  commanding 
in  her  appearance.  She  taught  her  children  the 


,  _,        (     '{£(J>>'   <_l,         O          "" 

10  MEMOIR. 

truths  of  the  gospel  with  great  diligence,  and  ac 
companied  her  instructions  by  a  holy  walk  and 
conversation.  The  whole  family,  through  the 
blessing  of  God  on  the  counsels  and  example  of 
their  sainted  parents,  early  consecrated  them 
selves  to  his  service.  Their  residence,  for  a  con 
siderable  portion  of  their  lives,  was  in  Peru, 
Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts,  at  which  place 
Sylvester  was  born  March  3d,  1796. 

His  earliest  religious  impressions,  which  proved 
to  be  permanent,  were  in  his  thirteenth  year. 
His  seriousness  at  that  time  resulted  in  what  he 
believed  to  be  a  change  of  heart;  and  from  the 
exercises  of  his  mind  recorded  in  his  diary,  there 
is  reason  to  conclude  that  he  was  not  deceived. 
Yet,  as  sometimes  happens  in  cases  of  genuine 
conversion,  he  appears,  after  eighteen  months  or 
more,  to  have  lost  his  first  love,  and,  in  a  great 
degree,  his  hope,  and  to  have  lived  for  several 
years  afterwards  in  a  backslidden  state.  This  de 
clension  was  induced  partly  by  his  neglect  to 
make  a  public  profession  of  religion,  and  partly 
by  his  removal  in  1812  from  the  quiet  rural  re 
treat  of  his  native  home,  to  the  city  of  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a  clerk 
in  the  store  of  one  of  his  older  brothers.  Though 
he  was  sent  away  by  his  parents  with  fervent 


MEMOIR.  11 

prayers  to  a  covenant  keeping  God,  that  he  might 
not  fall  into  the  temptations  and  snares  of  a  city 
life,  the  change  was  too  great  not  to  have  an  in 
jurious  effect  upon  his  piety.     Mingling  freely  in 
gay  and  fashionable  society,  and  erroneously  im 
agining  that  he  could  serve  God  as  acceptably 
without  disclosing  his  religious  experience  to  any 
one,  as  by  coming  out  from  the  world,  especially 
at  his  early  age,  and  connecting  himself  with  the 
church,  he  concealed  the  light  that  shone  into  his 
soul,  until  the  flame  of  devotion  and  hope,  which 
for  a  time  had  ascended  up  unto  heaven  with  de 
vout  and  joyful  brilliancy,  was  reduced  almost  to 
a  spark,  and  that  spark  lay  concealed  in  the  ash 
es  of  doubt  and  fear.      His  comforts  of  course 
died  away;  prayer  became,  comparatively  speak 
ing,  an  irksome  duty,  and  was  consequently  en 
gaged  in  with  less  frequency  than  at  first;  and 
he  unwisely  and  vainly  sought  in  parties  of  pleas 
ure  that  relief  from  a  troubled  conscience  which 
his  unfrequented  closet  had  ceased  to  afford. 

"How  vain  all  outward  effort  to  supply 
The  soul  with  joy!     The  noontide  sun  is  dark, 
Aiid  music  discord,  when  the  heart  is  low." 

And  the  heart  of  a  backsliding  Christian  can 
not  be  otherwise  than  low,  when 

•'Conscience wakes  the  bitter  memory 

Of  what  he  was.  what  is,  arid  what  must  be 
Worse," 


12  MEMOIR. 

so  long  as  he  continues  like  backsliding  Israel, 
to  "forsake  God,  the  fountain  of  living  waters, 
and  to  hew  out  for  himself  broken  cisterns  that 
can  hold  no  water." 

Our  young  friend  remained  in  this  uncomfort 
able  frame  of  mind  till  the  spring  of  1815,  at 
which  time  two  gentlemen  from  the  city  of  New 
York,  who  were  attending  the  Legislature  at  Al 
bany,  the  capital  of  that  State,  took  a  prominent 
part  in  a  series  of  social  religious  "meetings  held 
by  the  pastor  and  session  of  the  First  Presbyte 
rian  Church  of  that  city.  Those  gentlemen  (one 
of  them  in  particular,)  were  unusually  gifted  in 
prayer  and  exhortation,  and  they  did  not  regard 
themselves  as  compromiting  their  senatorial  dig 
nity  by  endeavoring  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  A 
very  considerable  awakening  ensued,  chiefly 
among  the  youth,  and  as  the  fruit  of  it,  ten  or 
twelve  young  persons,  of  whom  Mr.  Scovel  was 
one,  united  themselves  with  the  church. 

From  the  account  which  he  gives  of  his  own 
exercises  at  that  time  and  onward,  of  his  conver 
sation  with  his  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Niel,  of  the 
impression  made  upon  him  by  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel,  and  of  the  memorable  communion 
Sabbath,  July  16th,  1815,  when  he  for  the  first 
time  sat  down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  we  infer 


MEMOIR.  13 

that  his  religious  views  and  feelings  were  substan 
tially  the  same  as  they  had  been  for  a  season  six 
years  before.  He  was  greatly  humbled  in  view 
of  his  past  life;  shed  many  tears  before  God  as 
he  confessed  to  him  his  sins;  had  a  distinct  per 
ception  of  the  necessity  of  the  atonement  by  Je 
sus  Christ,  and  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
regenerating  the  heart;  and  with  a  devout,  be 
lieving  and  joyful  spirit,  devoted  himself  unre 
servedly  to  the  service  of  our  precious  and  di 
vine  Redeemer.  All  these  he  seems  to  have  felt 
and  done  before  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age; 
and  during  the  whole  six  years  which  intervened 
between  that  time  and  the  present,  he  continued 
to  have  some  faint  impressions  of  the  same  char 
acter.  Now,  when  the  work  of  divine  grace  was 
revived  in  his  soul,  they  appear  again,  the  same 
in  kind  as  before,  but  with  increased  strength  and 
vigor.  He  was  then  almost  a  child,  too  diffident 
to  seek  that  comfort  aud  security  which  are  found 
in  a  public  profession  of  religion,  or  even  in  a  free 
disclosure  of  his  feelings  to  his  parents  or  other 
pious  friends,  and  too  inexperienced  and  volatile 
to  escape  uninjured  those  counteracting  influen 
ces  which  are  scattered  like  beautiful  and  fragrant 
flowers  along  the  paths  of  youth.  Had  he  sought 
a  place  and  a  name  among  God's  people,  as  we 


14  MEMOIR. 

verily  believe  he  should  have  done,  it  is  highly 
probable  that  instead  of  four  or  five  years  of  spir 
itual  declension,  we  should  be  able  to  record  his 
progress  in  the  divine  life  during  that  period,  and 
his  much  earlier  preparation  for  the  gospel  min 
istry. 

After  his  connection  with  the  church  he  be 
came  one  of  her  most  active  and  devoted  mem 
bers,  and  soon  felt  and  expressed  a  strong  desire 
to  qualify  himself  for  the  ministry.  But  serious 
obstacles  were  in  his  way.  Some  of  his  relations, 
though  pious,  endeavored  to  dissuade  him.  They 
urged  him  especially  to  postpone  it  for  a  time,  on 
the  ground  that  the  zeal  he  then  manifested  might 
prove  to  be  temporary;  that  a  delay  of  twelve 
months  might  result  in  his  ceasing  to  have  a  de 
sire  to  preach,  &c.  Another  obstacle  was  the 
want  of  pecuniary  resources.  His  father,  who 
still  resided  at  Peru,  had  sustained  the  loss  of  a 
large  part  of  his  estate  by  the  same  cause  which 
the  distinguished  commentator,  Dr.  Scott,  tells  us 
made  the  father  of  his  wife  poor,  viz.,  that  "he 
never  profited  by  the  wise  admonition,  He  that 
hatetli  suretyship  is  sure"  In  the  present  case 
there  was  this  apology  for  it,  to-wit:  that  the  act 
was  done  to  please  and  accommodate  one  of  his 
sons  in  commencing  business.  The  effect  was  his 


MEMOIR.  15 

inability  to  educate  his  son  Sylvester,  who  ac 
cordingly,  in  part  from  necessity,  and  partly  to 
gratify  the  wishes  of  friends,  continued  in  busi 
ness  till  the  spring  of  1817,  when  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years;  immediately  after  which 
he  made  the  necessary  arrangements  to  pursue 
his  studies.  He  had  indeed  kept  the  subject 
steadily  before  his  mind  during  the  two  years 
previous;  and  had  financiered  so  successfully  as 
to  provide  himself  with  a  considerable  sum  to 
wards  defraying  his  necessary  expenses.  Not  re 
ceiving  as  much  while  a  clerk  as  he  thought  he 
could  earn  in  some  other  way,  he  prevailed  on 
one  of  his  brothers,  who  is  said  to  have  been  un 
usually  kind  and  generous,  to  furnish  him  with 
merchandise,  that  he  might  set  up  business  for 
himself,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  accumulating 
funds  to  expend  in  his  preparation  for  the  gospel 
ministry.  At  the  close  of  his  brief  mercantile 
career  of  some  twelve  months,  in  which  business 
he  had  good  success,  he  commenced  his  academ 
ical  studies,  and  in  one  year  and  a  half  thereafter, 
which  was  in  the  fall  of  1818,  he  entered  Will 
iams  CoUege,  Mass.  His  vacations  were  spent  in 
school-teaching,  in  reference  to  which  he  received, 
as  he  was  entering  on  his  senior  year,  a  flattering 
testimonial  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Griffin,  President 


16  MEMOIR. 

of  the  College,  certifying  to  his  reputable  stand 
ing  in  the  institution  "as  a  man,  a  scholar  and  a 
Christian." 

He  remained  in  College  four  years,  during 
which  time,  as  well  as  during  his  previous  aca 
demical  course,  he  appears  to  have  experienced 
the  usual  vicissitudes  incident  to  a  Christian  life> 
and  to  have  made  pleasing  progress  in  divine 
knowledge  and  grace.  A  desire  to  do  good  is 
particularly  prominent  in  his  diary,  and  is  testi 
fied  to  in  several  communications  written  by 
others.  As  a  specimen  of  his  feelings  at  that 
period  and  before,  we  give  a  few  sentences  of 
what  he  penned  on  the  day  of  the  first  anniver 
sary  of  his  religious  profession,  the  return  of  which 
he  seems  to  have  regarded  with  peculiar  interest. 
"Much  self-examination  is  necessary  on  this  mo 
mentous  occasion.  That  I  may  be  assisted  in 
this  examination  let  me  consider  three  things : 
1.  What  have  I  done  for  God  my  Creator,  and 
for  Jesus  my  Saviour?  2.  What  for  my  own 
soul  ?  and  3.  What  for  the  souls  of  my  fellow 
mortals?"  Sentiments  like  these  pervaded  al 
most  every  thing  he  wrote  of  a  religious  charac 
ter  from  that  time  onward;  and  they  were  so 
strikingly  manifest  to  others  as  to  be  men 
tioned  in  one  case  with  gratitude  by  a  person 
whose  spiritual  benefit  he  had  greatly  promoted. 


MEMOIR.  17 

He  thus  gave  evidence  in  several  particulars 
of  his  call  to  the  gospel  ministry.  lie  had  been 
tolled  by  divine  grace  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
without  which  it  may  be  invariably  assumed  that 
a  man  is  not  called  to  preach  the  gospel.  He 
possessed  fervent  and  active  zeal  in  the  discharge 
of  those  duties  which  devolved  on  him  as  a  mem 
ber  of  the  church;  which  indicated  a  special  qual 
ification  to  be  useful  in  the  gospel  ministry,  pro 
vided  he  had  the  requisite  mental  endowments, 
and  provided  no  serious  defects  of  character 
stood  in  the  way.  He  felt  an  earnest  desire  to 
engage  in  this  ^vork;  and  since  that  desire  was 
awakened  in  his  breast  as  the  fruit  of  his  Chris 
tian  experience,  there  is  good  reason  for  believing 
that  it  was  produced  by  the  same  Spirit  who  had 
wrought  in  him  his  previous  change  of  heart. 
Again,  though  possessing  an  extraordinary  talent 
for  business,  and  having  a  reasonable  prospect  of 
acquiring  wealth  by  continuing  in  it,  he  engaged 
in  business  no  longer  than  to  acquire  sufficient 
means  to  fit  himself  for  College,  and  with  a  view 
to  this  end,  after  which  he  abandoned  forever  his 
secular  calling  for  the  cure  of  souls.  His  renun 
ciation  of  worldly  emolument  for  the  cause  of 
Ch /•/>•/,  ami  his  readiness  to  devote  the  little  he 

/;//  his,'  /V/'///*//x   f'm'  <l  //////Av/  ft'))}?,  to 

' 


18  MEMOIR. 

prepare  himself  for  his  future  profession,  savored 
strongly  of  an  impulse  more  than  human.     A  su 
premely  selfish  and  worldly  man  hardly  deserves 
the  name  of  Christian,  and  is  totally  unfit  for  a 
Christian  minister,  the  essence  of  whose  official 
work  is  but  the  outward  expression  of  love  to 
his  fellow-men.      Hence,  when  God  calls  a  man 
to  this  sacred  office,  he  subdues  the  native  ava 
rice  and  selfishness  of  his  heart,  and  imparts  a 
spirit  of  enlarged  and  self-denying  benevolence. 
It  gives  us  pleasure  to  remark,  that  many  other 
Christians  are  benevolent  besides  ministers  of  the 
gospel.     Still  the  benevolence  required  of  a  min 
ister  is  peculiar.      He  must  not  merely  give  a 
tenth  of  his  income,  but  the  whole  of  it,  to  the 
service  of  Christ.     He  cannot  become  a  minister 
without  consenting  to  spend  his  life  with  no  other 
pecuniary  emolument  than  a  comfortable,  and 
oftentimes  a  scanty  support.     If  then  a  man  of 
the  character  and  qualifications  hitherto  suppose^, 
has  within  his  reach  an  ample  fortune,  and  yet 
feels  so  strong  a  desire  to  preach  the  gospel,  that 
he   deliberately   chooses   to  relinquish  his  fair 
worldly  prospects  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel  min 
istry,  and  if  withal  he  himself  sincerely  believes 
that  he  is  moved  to  this  course  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  no  stronger  evidence  of  the  divine  will  is 


MEMOIR.  19 

usually  afforded  than  is  done  by  such  a  concur 
rence  of  circumstances;  and  hence  it  is  not  only 
right  in  such  a  case  for  a  man  to  yield  to  these 
impressions,  but  not  to  do  so  involves  a  culpable 
dereliction  of  Christian  duty. 

Once  more — this  evidence,  already  strong  in 
Mr.  Scovel's  case,  was  rendered  decisive,  by  the 
permanency  of  those  desires  and  convictions  of  duty 
of  which  we  have  spoken.  His  zeal  for  Christ 
and  his  love  for  souls  did  not  languish.  The  end 
of  "twelve  months"  after  he  made  a  public  pro 
fession  found  him  as  firmly  fixed  in  his  high  and 
holy  purpose  of  preaching  the  gospel  as  at  the 
beginning;  and  during  each  succeeding  step  of 
his  literary  course,  his  desires  did  not  flag,  nor 
did  he  waver  in  his  determination.  There  may 
be  strong  desires  for  a  short  time,  which  are  nev 
ertheless  transient.  Hence  a  too  hasty  decision 
is  unwise,  and  liable  to  mislead.  But  if,  after 
much  prayerful  deliberation,  the  first  intimations 
of  a  divine  call  are  continued,  and  rather  in 
creased  than  diminished,  so  that  the  feeling  of 
the  heart  is,  "Woe  be  to  me  if  I  preach  not  the 
gospel,"  there  should  be  a  devout  and  willing  re 
sponse,  "Lord,  here  am  I;  send  me."  To  doubt 
in  such  a  case,  is  sinful;  and  to  disobey  is  a  ten 
fold  aggravation  of  that  sin — it  is  rebellion  against 


2ft  MEMOIR. 

the  authority  of  Christ.  We  earnestly  urge  upon 
those  young  men  at  whose  request  and  for  whose 
special  benefit  this  volume  is  penned,  to  examine 
with  due  attention  the  subject  of  a  call  to  the 
gospel  ministry;  and  while  they  are  careful  to 
avoid  "running  without  being  sent,'"  let  them  be 
equally  so  to  avoid  incurring  the  divine  displeas 
ure  for  their  neglect  of  known  duty. 

Mr.  Scovel  graduated  in  the  fall  of  1822,  and 
after  spending  two  or  three  months  in  teaching  a- 
school  in  his  native  place,  he  entered  the  Theolo 
gical  Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J.  His  venera 
ble  friend,  Dr.  Griffin,  to  whom  he  made  known 
his  intention,  furnished  him  with  a  letter  of  intro 
duction  to  the  Professors,  enclosed  in  a  note  to 
him.  The  first  part  of  the  letter  is  as  follows: 

"Williams  CoUege,  Nov.  28, 1822. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — It  is  with  peculiar  pleasure 
that  I  comply  with  your  request,  by  return  mail. 
The  enclosed  letter  you  will  please  to  seal.  I 
have  only  time  to  wish  you  every  blessing  in  the 
pursuit  of  your  course. 

I  hope  you  will  be  guarded  against  the  views 
of  the  limited  atonement  taught  at  P — n.  Many 
have  fallen  before  the  influence  there,  who  had 
received  such  an  education  as  you  have." 


MEMOIR.  21 

This  well  meant  advice  is  a  little  remarkable, 
coming,  as  it  did,  from  a  firm  believer  in  the  doc 
trines  of  the  divine  decrees,  predestination,  and 
personal  election,  as  held  by  Calvinistic  divines. 
But  he,  like  many  other  New  England  ministers 
since  the  time  of  Edwards,  made  a  distinction 
between  atonement  and  redemption,  regarding 
the  former  as  general,  the  latter  as  particular  or 
limited;  by  which  he  supposed  the  subject  to  be 
relieved  of  some  of  those  difficulties  involved,  or 
thought  to  be  involved,  in  it,  when  no  such  dis 
tinction  is  recognized.  He  published  a  volume 
on  the  Atonement,  for  the  special  purpose  of  ex 
plaining  and  defending  these  views;  but  the  work 
did  not  produce  that  strong  impression  on  the 
public  mind  which  he  probably  anticipated,  and 
which  the  high  standing,  splendid  talents,  and 
profound  learning  of  the  author  led  some  of  his 
friends  to  expect.  When  we  assume  the  infinite 
sufficiency  of  the  atonement,  we  lay  a  foundation 
broad  enough  for  the  free  offer  of  salvation  to  all 
men;  and  hence  nothing  is  gained  by  introducing 
into  the  language  of  theology  those  nice  distinc 
tions,  which,  while  they  obviate  no  real  difficulty, 
greatly  diminish,  not  to  say  destroy,  the  harmony 
of  divine  truth. 

It  is  perhaps  sr:im»ly  necessary  to  say  that 


22  MEMOIR. 

Mr.  Scovel  did  "fall  before  the  influence  there;" 
that  he  sincerely  embraced  those  views  of  the 
atonement  which  are  taught  in  that  Seminary  and 
in  the  standards  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  as 
distinguished  from  those  which  consist  partly  of 
those  modifications  of  the  reformed  doctrine 
which  were  introduced  by  Arminius  and  his  fol 
lowers.  And  in  our  judgment  he  was  so  far  from 
being  injured  by  it,  that  he  derived  an  important 
benefit  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  from  having 
his  theological  views  cast  in  so  scriptural  a  mold. 
While  in  the  seminary  his  standing  as  a  scholar 
was  highly  respectable;  his  amiable  disposition, 
and  his  affable  and  pleasant  manners  commended 
him  to  all  with  whom  he  became  acquainted;  and 
his  fervent,  humble  piety,  and  his  sincere  attach 
ment  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  in 
spired  universal  confidence.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Albany  in  August 
1824,  but  did  not  dissolve  his  connection  with 
the  Seminary  till  the  following  May.  His  theo 
logical  course  was  abridged  a  few  months  on  ac 
count  of  pecuniary  straits,  which  were  sometimes 
quite  embarrassing,  though  sooner  or  later  a  kind 
Providence  always  interposed  to  provide  for  his 
wants.  He  has  been  heard  to  say  "that  at  one 
time  while  in  the  Seminary  he  was  in  very  great 


MEMOIR.  23 

need  of  funds,  that  going  to  a  prayer  meeting 
much  cast  down,  a  letter  was  handed  him  by  one 
of  the  Professors  when  about  to  enter  the  room, 
and  upon  opening  it  he  found  twenty-five  dollars, 
which  just  relieved  his  wants,  but  that  he  never 
could  learn  from  whom  the  money  came."  The 
following  note,  found  among  his  papers,  doubtless 
refers  to  this  donation.  It  is  signed  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Miller,  and  dated  Aug.  9,  1824,  which  was  a 
few  days  before  he  was  expecting  to  attend  the 
meeting  of  Presby tery  to  sustain  his  examination 
for  licensure. 

"Mr  DEAR  SIR: — The  enclosed  is  a  sum  of 
money  put  into  my  hands  to  be  devoted  privately 
to  whomsoever  I  might  think  proper.  You  will 
never  know  from  whom  it  comes,  nor  will  the 
giver  ever  know  the  individual  on  whom  it  is  be 
stowed.  I  have  no  other  agency  in  the  business 
than  selecting  the  object;  and  as  I  have  known 
of  the  scantiness  of  your  funds,  and  your  pro 
posed  journey  to  the  North,  I  have  resolved  that 
it  shah1  be  yours." 

From  this  small  incident  we  may  learn  that  an 
intelligent  and  scriptural  trust  in  Divine  Provi- 
nence  is  never  misplaced.  After  a  student  has 
faithfully  used  the  means  which  proper  economy 
mid  industry  require,  in  order  to  meet  his  current 


24  MEMOIR. 

expenses,  he  is  authorized  and  required  to  exer 
cise  confidence  in  God  that  he  will  provide  for  his 
necessary  wants.  He  must  indeed  be  careful  not 
to  appropriate  any  portion  of  his  means  in  unne 
cessary  or  injudicious  expenditures.  With  this 
precaution  he  will  seldom,  if  ever,  be  compelled 
to  abandon  his  studies  on  account  of  the  small- 
ness  of  his  resources.  If  the  Great  Head  of  the 
church  has  called  him  to  become  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel,  he  has  called  him  to  prepare  for  it;  and 
if  he  perseveres  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  humbly 
and  believingly  applies  to  him  for  relief  in  the 
hour  of  need,  the  manna  will  in  due  time  descend 
from  the  clouds,  and  the  water  gush  forth  from  the 
rock. 

During  his  theological  course  he  engaged  reg 
ularly  from  week  to  week  in  imparting  Sabbath 
school  instruction,  and  in  conducting,  or  aiding 
to  conduct  social  meetings  for  prayer  and  exhor 
tation.  A  considerable  number  of  these  meet 
ings  were  held  in  different  neighborhoods  near 
Princeton,  under  the  direction  of  theological  stu 
dents,  two  of  whom  generally  went  out  together 
on  Sabbath  afternoon,  walking  sometimes  three 
or  four  miles,  and  even  farther,  teaching  a  Sab 
bath  school  and  Bible  class,  and  closing  the  whole 
with  a  prayer  meeting.  The  last  was  usually  at- 


MEMOIR.  25 

tended  by  scores  of  young  people  together  with 
their  parents,  who  joined  in  the  exercises  with 
apparent  seriousness,  and  sometimes  with  many 
tears.  As  a  specimen  of  these  meetings  we  will 
copy  a  few  extracts  from  the  memoirs  of  Mr. 
James  B.  Taylor,  a  devoted  young  man,  who,  at 
this  time,  and  for  several  years  preceding,  was 
pursuing  his  studies  at  Nassau  Hall  in  Princeton, 
and  at  the  High  School  in  Lawrenceville,  five 
miles  distant.  The  present  writer  was  well  ac 
quainted  with  Mr.  Taylor,  was  one  of  his  teach 
ers  for  eighteen  months  at  Lawrenceville,  and  can 
testify  to  the  general  correctness  of  the  state 
ments  hereafter  made. 

"Before  he  had  been  one  month  at  Lawrence 
ville,"  says  his  biographer,  "he  established,  and 
with  his  pious  fellow  students,  conducted  a  weekly 
prayer  meeting,  about  three  miles  from  the  vil 
lage.  It  was  among  a  people,  the  most  of  whom 
seldom  or  never  attended  church.  But  yet,  won 
by  the  kind  attentions  of  these  young  men,  they 
came  together  weekly  in  considerable  numbers, 
to  hear  hymns  sung,  listen  to  instruction,  and 
join  in  prayer  to  the  Father  of  all.  After  giv 
ing  to  a  friend  an  account  of  this  place,  and  of 
the  spiritual  condition  of  the  people,  Mr.  Taylor 
adds,  THERE  I  HOPE  TO  BE  USEFUL."  ....  "This 
3 


26  MEMOIR. 

prayer  meeting,  which  had  been  established  on 
Friday  evening,  was  changed  to  Sabbath  after 
noon,  and  was  regularly  attended  by  Mr.  Taylor. 
The  religious  exercises  thus  held,  soon  produced 
a  desire  for  further  reformation;  and  a  Bible  class 
was  formed,  which  he  was  requested  to  superin 
tend."  ....  "His  letters  give  some  interesting 
accounts  of  the  effect  of  this  prayer  meeting. 
To  one  of  his  sisters  he  writes  thus:"  .  .  .  "No 
doubt  you  wish  to  hear  something  of  my  prayer 
meeting.  On  Sabbath  afternoon,  at  four,  I  meet 
about  one  hundred  people,  assembled  in  two 
rooms,  most  of  whom  are  ignorant  of  God.  I 
stand  in  the  door  between,  and  generally  read  to 
them  a  sermon;  after  which  I  sometimes  speak  a 
few  words  of  exhortation.  As  yet  I  have  seen 
no  effect,  except  that  they  have  become  more  at 
tentive;  and  instead  of  profaning  the  Sabbath  by 
labor  in  the  fields,  &c.,  they  are  seen  at  meeting. 
I  trust  that  good  seed  is  sowing,  and  that  it  will 
spring  up  in  due  time."  In  another  letter  he 
writes,  "I  will  inform  you  what  I  have  been  en 
deavoring  to  do.  The  opportunity  was  afforded 
to  me  of  attempting  something,  by  a  recess  of 
three  days  in  our  school.  On  Sunday,  the  2d 
instant,  I  went  as  usual  to  attend  my  prayer 
meeting,  and  found  the  house  filled  to  overflow- 


MEMOIR.  27 

ing.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting,  according  to 
my  previous  plan,  I  told  the  people  that  I  in 
tended  to  spend  two  days  in  visiting  from  house 
to  house,  as  many  of  them  as  I  could.  Accord 
ingly  I  commenced  on  Sunday  evening  my  new 
employment.  At  the  first  place  where  I  called, 
I  found  a  young  person  greatly  distressed  on  ac 
count  of  sin.  This  case  of  awakening  had  oc 
curred  at  our  prayer  meeting.  There  was  very 
great  distress.  I  endeavored  to  oifer  such  in 
struction  as  suited  the  case."  ....  "On  Monday 
I  made  ten  visits."  .  .  .  "At  the  house  where  I 
tarried  that  night,  I  found  a  young  lady,  in  cir 
cumstances  similar  to  those  of  the  person  first 
mentioned,  bound  down  under  a  sense  of  sin,  and 
earnestly  desiring  the  one  thing  needful.  This 
greatly  encouraged  me,  for  I  do  believe  that  she 
is  seeking  the  way  of  truth,  'the  good  old  way.' 
Here  also  I  met  with  one  who  appeared  to  be  a 
Christian  indeed.  0  how  pleasant!  It  is  like  a 
well  of  water  in  a  thirsty  land."  .  .  .  "On  Tues 
day  I  called  at  ten  houses.  At  most  of  them  I 
presented  one  or  more  tracts." 

We  have  introduced  these  extracts  for  two 
reasons.  One  is,  that  they  serve  to  show  how 
Dr.  Scovel,  while  a  student  at  College  occupied 
his  leisure  time;  especially  a  portion  of  every 


28  MEMOIR. 

Sabbath.  The  course  he  pursued  was  very  sim 
ilar  to  that  above  described.  We  are  not  able, 
however,  to  state  with  certainty  whether  any 
fruits  of  his  labors  were  visible  or  not.  But  he 
sowed  the  "good  seed/'  and  if  he  did  not  reap 
the  harvest,  this  has  been  done  since  by  others 
who  succeeded  him  in  the  same  "work  of  faith 
and  labor  of  love."  The  other  reason  is,  that  in 
view  of  these  facts,  we  wish  to  invite  the  attention 
of  candidates  for  the  gospel  ministry  to  the  op 
portunities  which  are  furnished  them  for  doing 
good  while  prosecuting  their  studies.  In  the  vi 
cinity  of  all  our  Colleges  and  Theological  Semina 
ries  there  are  neighborhoods  which  present  en 
couraging  fields  for  usefulness,  similar  to  the  one 
above  described,  and  to  those  contiguous  to  it, 
which  were  regularly  visited  by  Mr.  Scovel  and 
other  members  of  the  Seminary.  Though  stu 
dents  are  not  justified  in  neglecting  their  studies 
for  any  cause  whatever,  except  ill  health,  and 
though  a  sound  discretion  should  be  exercised 
with  regard  to  the  manner  of  conducting  these 
meetings;  yet  without  any  interruption  of  studi 
ous  habits,  and  without  trenching  upon  that  offi 
cial  work  into  which  they  have  not  yet  been  in 
ducted,  there  is  ample  room  for  the  employment 
of  their  gifts;  and  there  is  also  abundant  en- 


MEMOIR.  29 

rourugement  to  do  so  from  the  hope  of  being  in 
strumental  in  saving  souls.  Many  a  young  man 
has  commenced  a  course  of  preparation  for  the 
ministry,  who  has  been  called  to  his  final  account 
before  he  was  permitted  to  preach  a  single  ser 
mon.  Present  opportunities  for  doing  good 
should  therefore  not  be  neglected,  since  they  may 
be  the  only  ones  we  shall  ever  enjoy. 

In  looking  over  the  catalogue  of  those  in  the 
Semiuaiy  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Scovel's  connection 
with  it,  we  have  felt  mingled  and  varied  emotions. 
Being  there  at  the  same  period  with  him,  his 
companions  and  acquaintances  were  the  same  as 
our  own.  The  present  location  and  circumstan 
ces  of  some  of  them  are  unknown  to  us.  Others 
we  can  distinctly  trace;  and  we  contemplate  with 
pleasure  and  gratitude  the  stations  of  distin 
guished  influence  in  the  church  which  some  of 
them  occupy,  and  the  fields  of  more  retired  yet 
extensive  usefulness  which  others  are  cultivating 
with  diligence  and  success.  A  few,  from  want  of 
health,  and  consequent  inability  to  labor  officially 
in  Christ's  vineyard,  or  from  some  other  provi 
dential  causes,  have  passed  through  many  vicissi 
tudes,  and  are  now  struggling  with  the  various 
inconveniences  and  ills  of  disappointed  expecta 
tion;  and  a  considerable  number,  like  the  subject 


30  MEMOIR. 

of  this  memoir,  have  been  called  to  their  final 
account.  The  reminiscences  thus  revived  are  to 
the  writer  full  of  interest,  and  the  reflections  they 
suggest  are  highly  instructive  and  salutary. 

But  our  object  in  alluding  to  them  now,  is  not 
to  descant  on  the  pleasures  of  Christian  friend 
ship,  nor  to  moralize  on  the  uncertainty  of  life; 
but  to  deduce  a  valuable  lesson  with  regard  to  a 
thorough  preparation  for  the  gospel  ministry. 
Though  we  do  not  find,  in  reviewing  the  above 
list  of  students,  that  their  subsequent  standing 
and  usefulness  can  in  every  case  be  measured  by 
the  length  of  time  they  spent  in  the  Theological 
Seminary,  we  obtain  sufficient  data  for  a  forcible 
appeal  to  all  our  candidates  to  take  a  full  course 
of  literary  and  professional  study.  The  young 
man  who  feels  in  such  haste  to  finish  his  prepa 
ration,  as  to  cut  short  his  College  course,  and  then 
his  Seminary  course,  however  good  his  motives 
may  be  for  this  proceeding,  unless  he  enjoys  an 
equivalent  for  those  advantages  elsewhere,  does 
both  himself  and  the  church  a  serious  injury. 
Though  he  gains  thereby  a  year  or  two  in  the 
way  of  actual  service  in  his  Lord's  vineyard,  he 
labors  with  more  difficulty  to  himself  and  with 
less  efficiency  in  promoting  the  interests  of  reli 
gion.  There  are  many  stations  which  he  is  in- 


MEMOIR.  31 

competent  to  fill,  for  the  want  of  sufficient  previ 
ous  training;  and  the  one  he  may  occupy,  he 
could  fill  with  far  greater  ease  and  advantage,  and 
with  much  larger  and  more  permanent  results  to 
the  cause  of  Christ,  if  he  possessed  the  additional 
furniture  which  one  or  two  more  years  of  study 
would  give  him.  Dr.  Scovel's  theological  course 
was  not  abridged  beyond  three  or  four  months; 
and  yet  he  advised  young  men  not  to  imitate  his 
example  in  this  particular,  unless  impelled  by  the 
most  urgent  necessity.  Whatever  maybe  thought 
now  by  some  ardent  and  impulsive  young  men, 
concerning  the  length  of  time  prescribed  in  the 
plan  of  our  Seminaries,  they  will  not  think  it  a 
single  day  too  long,  when  in  subsequent  life  they 
come  to  review  the  subject,  and  when  under  the 
pressure  of  official  duties  and  responsibili ties  they 
exclaim,  with  the  most  learned  and  in  some  re 
spects  the  most  eminent  of  all  the  apostles,  "Who 
is  sufficient  for  these  things?"  Dr.  S.  has  been 
often  heard  to  say,  that  if  he  had  not  laid  up  a 
good  body  of  divinity  by  a  long  course  of  prepa 
ration,  he  would  not  have  been  able  to  sustain 
himself  as  an  agent,  so  little  time  had  he  during 
his  agency  to  devote  himself  to  study.  Though 
a  minister  ought  to  be  a  student,  as  far  as  practi 
cable,  all  his  life,  yet  he  is  sometimes  called  to  a 


32  MEMOIR. 

field  of  labor  very  unfriendly  to  studious  habits. 
This  circumstance  was  to  Dr.  S.  one  of  the  great 
est  trials  of  his  agency.  But  being,  as  he  be 
lieved,  in  the  path  of  duty,  he  felt  called  upon  by 
Divine  Providence  to  practice  this  self-denial, 
though  it  involved  a  great  sacrifice  of  opportuni 
ties  which  he  might  otherwise  have  enjoyed  for 
literary  pursuits.  As  no  candidate  for  the  minis 
try  can  know  beforehand  what  field  he  may  be 
called  to  cultivate,  or  what  may  be  his  future  ad 
vantages  or  disadvantages  for  increasing  his  stock 
of  knowledge,  he  should  not  ask  for  his  creden 
tials  to  preach,  until  he  is  a  "workman  that  needs 
not  to  be  ashamed,"  and  is  able  "rightly  to  di 
vide  the  word  of  truth."  In  the  language  of  a 
valuable  correspondent,  "the  gospel  is  to  be 
preached  to  every  creature;  but  every  creature 
is  not  prepared  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  least  of 
all  those  creatures  who  refuse  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  means  of  being  thoroughly  furnished  for 
their  work." 


CHAPTER  II. 

HIS    LABORS    AS    A    MISSIONARY    AND    PASTOR. 

About  a  month  after  his  licensure  he  received 
an  appointment  from  the  Board  of  Domestic  Mis 
sions  to  labor  for  six  weeks  as  a  missionary  in 
five  different  neighborhoods  on  the  Delaware 
River  between  Trenton  and  Philadelphia.  His 
journal  of  this  mission  now  lies  before  me;  from 
which  it  appears,  that  after  spending  a  part  of 
each  forenoon  in  study,  he  walked  daily  from 
place  to  place,  sometimes  eight  or  ten  miles,  vis 
iting  families,  engaging  in  personal  conversation, 
and  distributing  tracts;  and  at  the  close  of  the 
day  preaching  the  gospel  to  attentive,  and  some 
times  solemn  and  weeping  audiences,  congregated 
in  school-houses  and  private  dwellings.  After 
completing  this  short  mission,  he  returned  to  the 
Seminary,  remained  there  six  months,  and  then 
accepted  an  invitation  from  the  congregation  at 
Woodbury,  New  Jersey,  to  preach  to  them  as  a 
stated  supply.  Though  this  invitation  extended 
only  to  a  single  year,  he  continued  there  upwards 
of  three,  and  when  he  determined  to  leave,  he 
had  in  his  hands  a  call  from  them  for  a  perma- 


34  MEMOIR. 

nent  settlement.  During  his  residence  in  that 
place  fifty-three  persons  were  added  to  the  church, 
and  the  strength  and  prosperity  of  the  congrega 
tion  were  increased  in  other  respects.  A  promi 
nent  member  of  that  church  has  furnished  the 
following  interesting  statement:  "The  Rev.  Mr. 
Scovel  labored  with  that  ardent  piety  and  indefat 
igable  zeal,  which  has  characterized  the  man  ever 
since.  His  suavity  of  manner,  and  the  interest 
which  he  manifested  for  the  good  of  all  men,  won 
him  the  confidence  and  esteem,  not  only  of  his 
personal  friends  and  of  his  church,  but  of  the 
whole  community.  He  labored  in  season  and  out 
of  season  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  all,  and  es 
pecially  of  his  own  congregation.  Under  his 
ministry  many  were  added  to  the  church,  who  we 
trust  have  been  and  will  be  saved.  Some  have 
already  entered  into  their  rest,  and  others  have 
continued  faithful  to  their  profession,  who  we  trust 
will  be  ultimately  saved." 

"He  not  only  labored  himself,  but  had  a  re 
markable  faculty  of  setting  others  to  work  in  the 
spiritual  vineyard.  He  assembled  the  leading 
male  members  together,  and  not  only  prayed  with 
them  and  for  them,  but  called  upon  them  to  take 
part  with  him  orally,  and  by  this  means  gave 
them  confidence  and  assurance.  Female  prayer 


MEMOIR.  35 

meetings  were  also  encouraged  successfully,  and 
these  in  addition  to  the  weekly  prayer  meeting 
and  lecture,  the  Bible  class  and  Sabbath  school. 
His  labors  extended  to  a  second  church  at  Black- 
woodtown,  six  miles  east  of  Woodbury,  where  he 
was  equally  successful." 

"It  was  at  this  time  that  the  religious  world 
were  drawn  to  supply  the  destitute  with  the  Bible, 
and  they  determined  to  place  a  copy  in  every 
family.  This  was  accomplished  in  that  county 
under  the  special  superintendence  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Scovel.  Without  his  zeal,  industry,  and  per 
severance,  there  would  have  been  a  failure.  The 
county  was  very  large,  extending  from  the  Dela 
ware  to  the  Atlantic,  out  of  which  there  has  since 
been  made  three  counties.  Notwithstanding  this, 
he  not  only  did  not  intermit  his  ordinary  labors 
in  his  own  charges,  but  he  obtained  helpers  from 
the  Seminary  at  Princeton  and  from  individuals 
in  the  county,  called  meetings  in  the  villages  and 
other  places,  made  speeches  himself,  and  got  oth 
ers  to  address  assemblages,  and  in  this  way  was 
the  exploration  made,  the  money  necessary  raised, 
and  the  work  thoroughly  accomplished  in  a  few 
months.  Such  persevering,  indefatigable  indus 
try  I  have  never  witnessed  from  any  one  since. 
He  left  us  for  a  wider  field  of  labor,  carrying  with 


36  MEMOIR. 

him  the  confidence  and  love  of  his  congregation 
and  the  community." 

One  of  the  first  of  those  members  admitted 
by  him  to  the  communion  of  the  church,  was  Miss 
Hannah  C.  Matlack,  daughter  of  James  Matlack, 
Esq.,  an  ex-member  of  Congress,  a  gentleman  of 
wealth  and  influence,  of  good  moral  habits  and 
unimpeachable  integrity,  but  a  stranger  at  that 
time  to  experimental  religion,  and  not  very 
friendly  to  its  professors  as  such,  particularly  to 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  A  special  attachment 
was  soon  formed  between  her  and  Dr.  Scovel,  to 
the  consummation  of  which,  by  marriage,  her  fa 
ther  made  decided  opposition.  The  obstacles 
thrown  in  the  way  by  him  to  the  gratification  of 
their  wishes,  together  with  his  personal  ill  feeling 
towards  Mr.  S.,  arising  from  the  above  cause, 
were  the  main  reasons  for  his  declining  the  call 
from  that  congregation.  He  left  Woodbury  in 
the  fall  of  1828,  and  after  preaching  six  months 
at  Norristown,  Pa.,  he  received  and  accepted  a 
commission  from  the  Board  of  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  to  labor  as  a  missionary  in 
the  West.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Matlack  in 
Philadelphia,  on  the  morning  of  June  23d,  1829, 
and  on  the  same  day  they  directed  their  steps 
towards  their  new  and  distant  home  in  the  Ohio 
Valley. 


MEMOIR.  37 

Had  we  the  talent  and  inclination  formance,  or 
we  might  here  introduce  a  narrative  which,  with 
some  expansion  and  embellishment,  would  form 
by  itself  a  volume  of  thrilling  interest.  Without 
gathering  our  materials  from  the  realms  of  fancy 
or  fiction,  the  simple  facts  in  the  case  would  fur 
nish  all  the  essential  requisites  for  a  regular  dra 
ma,  partly  comical  and  partly  tragical,  but  ter 
minating  happily  and  honorably  to  all  the  par 
ties  concerned.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  several 
distinguished  ministers  in  Philadelphia,  after  be 
ing  made  fully  acquainted  with  the  circumstan 
ces,  advised  their  marriage;  but  they  preferred 
waiting  for  her  father's  consent,  and  after  a  delay 
of  two  years,  he  reluctantly  gave  his  permission; 
though  he  did  not  witness  the  ceremony,  nor  in 
vite  the  bridegrdom  to  his  house.  He  even 
threatened  to  disinherit  his  daughter,  yet  never 
lost  his  affection  for  her,  traveled  once  to  the 
West  to  pay  her  a  visit,  and  toward  the  close  of 
his  life,  at  which  time  he  gave  evidence  of  experi 
encing  a  change  of  heart,  he  became  wholly  re 
conciled,  expressed  kind  feelings  for  both  her  and 
her  husband,  and  bequeated  to  her  and  her  chil 
dren  a  legacy  which  yields  a  competent  support 
for  her  large  family. 

On  the  subject  of  marriage,  the  distinguished 


38  MEMOIR. 

and  evangelical  John  Angel  James,  addressing 
the  young  people  of  his  charge,  made  the  fol 
lowing  just  remarks:  "Parents  have  no  right  to 
select  for  you,  nor  ought  you  to  select  for  your 
self  without  consulting  with  them.  How  far  they 
are  vested  with  authority  to  prohibit  you  from 
marrying  a  person  whom  they  disapprove,  is  a 
point  of  casuistry  very  difficult  to  determine.  If 
you  are  of  age,  and  able  to  provide  for  yourselves, 
or  are  likely  to  be  well  provided  for,  by  those  to 
whom  you  are  about  to  be  united,  it  is  a  question 
whether  they  can  do  any  thing  more  than  advise 
and  persuade."  Again,  "Their  objections  ought 
always,  I  admit,  to  be  founded  in  reason,  and  not 
on  caprice,  pride  or  cupidity;  for  where  this  is 
the  case,  and  the  children  are  of  full  age,  and  are 
guided  in  their  choice  by  prudence,  by  piety,  and 
by  affection,  they  certainly  may  and  must  be  left 
to  decide  for  themselves." 

The  latter  part  of  this  advice  presents  a  mat 
ter  more  grave  in  its  character  and  more  impor 
tant  in  its  results  than  even  the  consent  of  pa 
rents;  viz:  that  the  contracting  parties  should  be 
guided  in  their  choice  "by  prudence,  \yy  piety, 
and  by  affection"  The  usefulness,  as  well  as 
happiness  of  preachers  of  the  gospel  is  sometimes 
so  much  affected  by  this  circumstance,  as  to  jus- 


MEMOIR.  39 

tify  us  iii  saying  a  word  or  two  oil  this  poiiit  to 
candidates  for  the  ministry.  We  might  adduce 
a  thousand  instances  of  happy  marriages,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  and  of  a 
very  large  majority  of  all  the  clergy  with  whose 
families  it  has  been  our  pleasure  to  be  acquaint 
ed.  But  the  sight  of  a  single  vessel  stranded  011 
the  beach,  teaches  the  mariner  a  more  impressive 
lesson  than  that  of  a  hundred  riding  safely  and 
majestically  in  the  ocean.  Two  of  the  most  cel 
ebrated  preachers  of  the  age  in  which  they  lived, 
John  Wesley  and  George  Whitefield,  were  unfor 
tunate  in  their  marriages;  the  former  in  a  very 
high  degree;  showing  that  great  and  good  men 
are  not  always  wise.  Mrs.  Wesley  was  not  only 
no  assistance  to  her  husband  in  his  arduous  work, 
but  she  threw  every  obstacle  which  she  could  hi 
his  way.  She  even  defamed  his  character,  and, 
in  order  to  substantiate  her  charges,  interpolated 
his  letters,  and  read  them  as  thus  altered  by  her, 
to  those  whom  she  knew  to  be  his  enemies;  in 
tending  thereby  to  blast  his  reputation  and  de 
stroy  his  influence.  Mrs.  Whitefield  did  nothing 
of  this  kind,  but  as  his  biographer  says,  "she  had 
no  commanding  virtues  running  in  grand  paral 
lel  with  any  of  the  noble  features  of  her  hus 
band's  character."  Cornelius  Winter  reports,  as 


40  MEMOIR. 

we  have  it  from  Mr.  Jay,  that  he  "was  not  happy 
with  his  wife;"  that  "she  certainly  did  not  be 
have  as  she  ought/'  and  that  "her  death  set  his 
mind  much  at  rest."  Though  this  has  been 
doubted  and  even  denied  by  Mr.  Philip,  yet  the 
singular  text  which  Whitefield  took  when  he 
preached  on  the  occasion  of  her  death,  appears 
very  much  like  an  admission  by  him  of  its  truth. 
It  was  from  Rom.  8:  20.  "For  the  creature  was 
made  subject  to  vanity,  not  willingly,  but  by  rea 
son  of  him  who  hath  subjected  the  same  in 
hope." 

We  would  urge  upon  candidates  for  the  gospel 
ministry,  1.  Not  to  form  this  connection  until 
you  have  finished  your  professional  studies,  and 
have  entered,  or  at  least  are  prepared  to  enter, 
upon  your  official  duties;  and  2.  That  you  form 
this  connection  with  mature  and  prayerful  delib 
eration,  and  endeavor,  in  the  exercise  of  a  sound 
discretion,  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  obtain 
a  companion,  who  for  age,  character,  domestic 
habits,  and  disposition  to  do  good,  will  be,  in  the 
language  of  Milton, 

"  Thy  likeness,  thy  fit  help,  thy  other  self, 
Thy  wish  exactly  to  thy  heart's  desire." 

On  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Scovel  at  Cincinnati,  he 
met  with  a  cordial  reception  from  the  venerable 


MEMOIR.  41 

Dr.  Joshua  L.  Wilson,  who  had  a  place  already 
marked  out  for  him  as  the  field  of  his  missionary 
labors.  A  short  time  before  this,  a  pious  lady,  a 
member  of  a  feeble  church  some  twenty  miles 
distant,  visited  Cincinnati,  and  in  the  presence  of 
this  man  of  God,  to  whom  hundreds  were  accus 
tomed  to  apply  for  counsel,  lamented  their  desti 
tution  of  a  preached  gospel,  and  solicited  his  ad 
vice  with  regard  to  the  course  they  should  pur 
sue.  His  reply  was,  "My  dear  friend,  do  not 
give  way  to  despair,  but  remember  who  has  said, 
'Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  will 
send  laborers  into  the  harvest.'  Request  your 
sisters  in  the  church  to  join  with  you  in  twilight 
prayer  every  evening.  If  you  cannot  meet  to 
gether  in  person,  your  pray*s  can  be  offered  up 
together  at  the  same  time  and  for  the  same  ob 
ject."  She  returned  home  and  prevailed  on  a 
few  who  were  like  minded,  to  offer  up  their  peti 
tions  to  Him  who  is  the  hearer  and  the  answerer 
of  prayer,  that  they  might  soon  have  a  shepherd 
to  take  charge  of  that  small  and  destitute  flock. 
Often  in  later  years  did  that  pious  mother  in  Is 
rael  say,  "If  ever  the  Lord  answered  prayer,  I 
believe  he  did  it  in  this  case — that  Mr.  Scovel 
was  sent  in  answer  to  those  feeble  petitions  which 
were  offered  up  in  humble  dependence  on  the 
1 


42  MEMOIR. 

promises  of  God."  The  church  referred  to  was 
at  Harrison,  Ohio,  which  place,  together  with 
Lawrenceburg,  Indiana,  situated  on  the  Ohio 
River,  and  several  other  intermediate  and  contig 
uous  points,  embracing  a  district  of  over  twenty 
miles  long,  and  an  average  width  of  ten  miles, 
constituted  his  field  of  labor  for  the  first  three 
years.  After  this  his  ministry  was  confined  to 
narrower  limits.  Harrison  became  his  central 
and  more  important  preaching  point  till  1836; 
when  he  was  removed  by  a  call  from  the  Board 
of  Missions  to  act  as  their  agent  in  the  West* 

At  the  commencement  of  his  labors  the  church 
at  Harrison  consisted  only  of  twenty-seven  mem 
bers,  and  their  house  of  worship  was  barely  en 
closed,  and  not  fit  for  use.  Besides  this,  accord 
ing  to  our  best  information,  there  was  not  a  sin 
gle  organized  church  or  a  single  house  of  worship 
in  the  whole  district.  It  was  therefore  in  the 
strictest  sense  a  missionary  field,  requiring  dili 
gent,  protracted,  and  self-denying  exertions  on 
the  part  of  the  minister,  to  bring  it  under  proper 
culture.  Congregations  were  to  be  gathered, 


*  NOTE — Mr.  Scovel  is  reported  in  the  Minntes  of  the  General  As 
sembly  prior  to  1833,  either  as  a  missionary  or  as  a  pastor  of  Law 
renceburg,  Elizabeth,  Berea,  Harrison  and  Providence  churches;  in 
1833  and  afterwards,  as  pastor  of  the  last  two,  viz.,  Harrison  and 
Providence. 


MEMOIR.  43 

scattered  members  to  be  visited  aiid  organized 
into  churches,  Sabbath  schools  to  be  formed  and 
provided  with  teachers,  and  funds  raised  for  erect 
ing  houses  of  worship;  to  all  of  which  Mr.  Scovel 
applied  himself  with  indefatigable  energy  and 
perseverance;  never  forgetting,  however,  in  his 
ministrations  and  visits,  the  chief  design  of  his 
vocation, — the  "cure  of  souls."  His  labors  were 
crowned  with  success.  Besides  the  accomplish 
ment  of  those  objects,  which  improved  in  a  high 
degree  the  external  condition  of  society,  there 
were  changes  of  a  character  purely  spiritual, 
which  were  still  more  cheering  and  important. 
Conversions  were  frequent  and  numerous.  Du 
ring  the  seven  years  he  cultivated  these  fields, 
about  three  hundred  made  a  profession  of  religion 
under  his  ministry.  They  were  not  gathered  in 
by  means  of  any  special  revivals,  but  by  a  grad 
ual  and  constant  work  of  grace.  Not  a  single 
communion  season  occurred  during  the  whole 
time  without  some  accessions  to  the  church. 

The  secret  of  his  success  may  be  learned  in 
part  from  the  following  communication  received 
from  an  intelligent  lady  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Lawrenceburg  church  from  the  time  of  its  organ 
ization  till  the  close  of  Dr.  Scovel's  ministry  there. 
She  writes  thus:  "lie  combined  in  an  eminent  de- 


44  MEMOIR. 

gree  every  Christian  virtue,  possessing  that  com 
pleteness  and  symmetry  of  Christian  character 
so  desirable.  As  a  pastor,  he  was  pre-eminent. 
He  was  truly  the  father  of  his  people,  entering 
with  the  deepest  interest  into  all  their  feelings. 
He  wept  with  those  who  wept  and  rejoiced  with 
those  who  rejoiced.  The  poor  and  the  rich  shared 
alike  in  his  kind  attentions  and  generous  hospital 
ity.  All  felt  that  in  him  they  had  a  friend  in  whom 
they  might  confide.  He  was  always  remarkably 
cheerful  and  happy,  and  always  polite  and  gentle 
manly.  Kindness  of  heart  most  kindly  expressed 
marked  his  intercourse  with  all  with  whom  he  as 
sociated.  He  never  resented  an  injury,  but  re 
turned  good  for  evil.  He  possessed  great  decis 
ion  and  perseverance  of  character;  hence  his  suc 
cess  in  almost  every  thing  which  he  undertook. 
When  the  path  of  duty  was  plainly  marked  out 
he  advanced,  surmounting  every  obstacle ;  unde 
terred  by  dangers  and  difficulties,  he  overcame 
every  opposition.  Like  a  rock  dashed  by  ocean's 
wave,  he  was  firm  and  unshaken  amidst  the 
stormy  elements.  Was  he  ridiculed,  as  were  the 
builders  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem :  he  heeded  it 
not,  but  still  went  forward.  He  was  always  ready 
to  make  personal  sacrifices  for  the  advancement 
of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  The  field  in  which 


MEMOIR.  45 

ho  labored  was  one  of  great  difficulty,  requiring 
much  wisdom  and  prudence,  decision  and  perse 
verance,  self-denial  and  fortitude.  His  success 
in  that  field  is  the  best  proof  of  his  possessing 
the  necessary  qualifications.  He  mad<3  great  per 
sonal  sacrifices,  sometimes  laboring  with  his  own 
hands  in  building  the  house  of  the  Lord.  He 
told  me  he  felt  as  if  he  could  sell  his  bed  from 
under  him  rather  than  the  house  should  not  go 
up." 

In  addition  to  these  we  will  mention  two  other 
causes  for  his  success,  not  distinctly  brought  to 
view  in  the  preceding  extract.  One  is  derived 
from  our  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with 
his  character  and  habits;  the  other  from  his  man 
uscript  sermons  which  now  lie  before  us.  The 
former  relates  to  his  praying,  the  latter  to  his 
preaching.  He  habitually  and  devoutly  recog 
nized  his  dependence  on  God,  and  was  frequent 
mid  earnest  in  his  supplications  for  his  Holy 
Spirit  to  qualify  him  for  his  work  and  give  him 
success  in  it.  As  to  his  sermons,  they  were  uni 
formly  on  subjects  which  led  him  to  discourse  on 
the  •  great  doctrines  and  duties  of  Christianity, 
and  his  mode  of  treating  them  was  such  as  to 
bring  out  with  clearness  the  marrow  of  the  gos- 
pol.  Tho  first  sermon  which  ho  over  prepared 


46  MEMOIR. 

appears  to  have  been  (from  its  date)  on  the  text, 
"I  determined  not  to  know  any  thing  among  you, 
save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified."     And^if 
he  had  designed,  by  selecting  that  passage,  to 
give  a  pledge  respecting  his  future  ministry,  we 
should  not  expect  to  find  his  subsequent  dis 
courses  much  different  from  what  they  were.     It 
is  not  wonderful,  therefore,  that  his  labors  were 
blessed.     God  was  honored  by  the  truths  which 
he   preached;  they  were,  moreover,  just  such 
truths  as  he  has  ordained  for  the  conversion  of 
men;  and  he  was  equally  honored  by  being  often 
addressed  as  the  author  of  the  Bible,  and  of  all 
those  blessings  which  flow  to  mankind  through 
this  channel;  especially  of  that  renewing  and 
sanctifying  grace,  which  it  is  the  great  design  of 
the  gospel  ministry  to  impart,  but  in  the  com 
munication  of  which  it  is  only  the  instrument, 
and  not  the  efficient  cause;  and  hence,  He  who 
has  styled  himself  "the  hearer  of  prayer,"  must 
be  daily  and  fervently  looked  to  by  his  minister 
ing  servants  for  those  influences,  without  which 
even  Paul  would  have  planted,  and  Apollos  wa 
tered  in  vain. 

During  the  two  years  when  his  family  resi 
dence  was  at  Lawrenceburg,  there  occured  an  ex 
traordinary  rise  in  the  Ohio,  by  which  the  whole 


MEMOIR.  47 

town  was  inundated.  He  and  his  family  were 
taken  from  the  second  story  of  his  dwelling  and 
conveyed  to  a  place  of  safety  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  His  loss  was  serious,  includ 
ing  among  other  things  the  greater  part  of  his 
library;  which,  however,  the  Lord  kindly  replac 
ed,  at  least  in  part,  through  the  agency  of  the 
venerable  Dr.  Green  of  Philadelphia.  This  let 
ter  to  Mr.  Scovel,  dated  May  5,  1832,  reads  as 
follows : 

"Mr  DEAR  SIR — I  have  been  informed — no 
matter  how — that  you  lost  a  large  and  valuable 
part  of  your  library,  by  the  inundation  of  Law- 
renceburg  in  March  last.  Will  you  be  so  good 
as  to  inform  me,  as  soon  as  practicable,  what 
books  you  lost,  and  what  those  are  which  would 
be  most  useful  to  you,  whether  they  have  hith 
erto  been  in  your  possession  or  not.  Please  also 
to  tell  me  by  what  conveyance  a  box  of  books 
might  most  safely  be  sent  to  you.  You  shall  re 
ceive  some  books,  but  I  fear  not  to  the  amount 
of  what  you  have  lost.  But  tell  me  what  will  be 
most  useful,  and  pray  make  no  objections,  nor 
any  particular  acknowledgment  to  any  but  to 
God  to  whom  we  are  all  indebted." 

Just  one  week  after  the  date  of  this  letter, 
and  probably  therefore  on  the  very  day  of  its  re- 


1:8  MEMOIR. 

caption,  he  received  the  following  note  from  a 
geVtleman  of  Lawrenceburg: 

^SiR — I  am  under  great  obligations  for  your 
goodness  towards  me  and  my  family.  Please  ac 
cept  the  enclosed  bill." 

The  amount  of  money  sent  in  this  note  we 
have  no  means  of  ascertaining;  but  the  fact  is 
worthy  of  recording  with  the  preceding  one,  as 
affording  another  illustration,  such  as  often  oc 
curs  in  the  history  of  God's  people,  of  the  kind 
interposition  of  Divine  Providence  in  behalf  of 
those  who  devote  their  lives  to  promote  the  good 
of  their  fellow  men.  When  our  Creator  sends 
calamities  of  this  kind  upon  a  city,  he  does  not 
usually  command  the  elements  to  spare  the  pos 
sessions  of  those  that  honor  and  obey  him,  but 
permits  them  to  suffer  in  common  with  others. 
The  difference  is  made  at  a  subsequent  time. 
While  the  sympathies  of  our  nature  are  called 
out  for  the  relief  of  all  to  a  certain  extent,  God 
so  orders  it  that  special  favor  is  extended  to 
those  sufferers  who  endeavor  to  serve  and  please 
him. 

The  flood  at  Lawrenceburg  was  one  cause  of 
Dr.  Scovel's  removal  from  that  place  and  settle 
ment  at  Harrison,  and  this  change  of  location 
may  be  adduced  as  a  still  farther  illustration  of 


MEMOIR.  49 

God's  kindness  to  his  servants  in  time  of  need. 
The  congregation  at  Harrison,  from  personal  at 
tachment,  from  sympathy  for  him  in  view  of  his 
losses,  and  from  their  desire  to  contribute  to  his 
comfort  as  their  minister,  purchased  a  parcel  of 
ground  containing  about  ten  acres,  with  a  dwell 
ing  house,  which  they  invited  him  to  occupy  as 
a  parsonage.  This  invitation,  which  he  cheer 
fully  accepted,  afforded  him  timely  and  valuable 
assistance  in  the  support  of  his  family,  and  it 
proved  to  be  far  more  profitable  to  the  people, 
even  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  than  it  did  to 
him. 

"  '  Tvras  like  the  oil  Elisha's  bounty  blessed, 

\Ybich  grew  by  use  and  multiplied  by  spending." 

Its  cost  was  about  four  hundred  dollars,  from 
a  portion  of  which,  by  its  sale  in  village  lots, 
they  have  since  realized  more  than  four  thousand 
dollars,  and  the  part  which  they  retain  is  now 
worth  two  thousand  dollars.  So  sure  and  unfail 
ing  is  that  Divine  promise,  "Whatsoever  good 
thing  any  man  doeth,  the  same  shall  he  receive 
of  the  Lord."  Eph.  6:  8. 

But  their  pecuniary  advantage  was  the  small 
est  part  of  their  reward.  They  secured  for  four 
years  the  residence  among  them  of  a  man  whose 
labors  God  eminently  blessed  for  the  promotion 
5 


50  MEMOIR. 

of  their  spiritual  benefit.  In  the  account  which 
we  shall  give  of  his  ministry  there,  both  before 
and  after  this  period,  we  shall  make  extracts 
from  letters  received  from  the  present  excellent 
pastor  and  two  worthy  members  of  that  church. 
Says  one  of  these  letters,  "The  aspect  of  things 
soon  changed.  Old  professors  remembered  whence 
they  had  fallen,  and  returned  to  their  first  love. 
Careless  sinners  were  awakened,  and  in  two  years 
more  accessions  were  made  to  the  church  than  in 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  previous.  The  Sabbath 
school,  which  was  in  a  declining  state,  became 
renovated,  and  several  were  added  to  the  church 
from  it,  who  dated  their  first  serious  impressions 
to  the  instructions  therein  received  from  Mr.  Sco- 
vel  and  his  truly  amiable  and  pious  companion, 
who  became  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath  school  soon 
after  her  arrival.  For  a  long  time  scarcely  a  Sab 
bath  passed  without  some  accession  to  the  church. 
In  the  pulpit  Mr.  S.  was  eminently  successful  in 
winning  souls  to  Christ;  but  it  was  not  in  preach 
ing  publicly  that  his  greatest  excellence  consist 
ed.  In  his  pastoral  visits  he  excelled  most,  if  not 
all  others.  He  manifested  a  heartfelt  interest  in 
all  the  concerns  of  his  people,  both  temporal  and 
spiritual.  In  prosperity  he  rejoiced,  in  adversity 
sympathized  with  all.  Goldsmith's  beautiful  de- 


MEMOIR.  51 

scription  of  the  country  clergyman  is  very  appli 
cable  to  him.  In  the  house  of  mourning  and  af 
fliction  he  was  a  ministering  angel.  When  he 
vi>ited  those  who  were  laid  on  beds  of  sickness 
and  languishing,  he  not  only 

"Allured  to  brighter  worlds  and  led  the  way," 

but  with  his  own  hands  smoothed  the  pillow  of 
the  invalid,  and  administered  nourishment  and 
medicine,  and  words  of  kindness  and  consolation 
in  such  a  way  as  he  only  could  do." 

"Owing  to  the  embarrassments  occasioned  by 
the  purchase  of  a  parsonage  and  the  expense  of 
finishing  the  meeting  house,*  there  was  never 
more  than  three  hundred  dollars  subscribed  for 
the  pastor's  salary,  and  even  this  small  sum  was 
not  fully  realized.  But  notwithstanding  his  own 
insufficient  support,  he  was  ever  deeply  solicitous 
to  foster  a  spirit  of  beneficence  among  his  people 
in  regard  to  the  benevolent  societies  of  the  pres 
ent  day.  And  when  some  expostulated  with  him 
on  this  subject,  remarking,  that  in  proportion  to 
what  his  people  through  his  influence  were  per 
suaded  to  give  for  these  objects,  so  much  less 
would  they  feel  disposed  to  contribute  to  his  sup 
port,  his  reply  was,  that  whenever  a  person  gave 

*  XOTE. —  In  finishing  the  meeting-house,  the  same  letter  states 
that  Mr.  S.  manifested  untiring  zeal  and  perseverance,  laboring  with 
his  own  hands,  &c. 


52  MEMOIR. 

of  his  substance  cheerfully,  his  benevolent  feel 
ings  would  be  increased,  and  he  would  feel  more 
anxious  to  devise  plans  whereby  he  might  be  able 
to  contribute  more  and  more  yearly  to  aid  in  all 
the  different  ways  of  doing  good;  that  he  would 
even  rejoice  that  these  opportunities  were  afford 
ed  him.  And  said  he,  "Whenever  myself  and 
family  cannot  possibly  subsist  on  what  I  get  from 
my  people,  I  shall  consider  it  an  indication  of 
Providence  that  I  had  better  leave  and  go  else 
where.  But  never  while  they  are  doing  all  they 
can  for  me  and  for  the  different  objects  of  Chris 
tian  benevolence  which  have  a  claim  upon  their 
contributions,  will  I  leave  them  for  the  sake  of  a 
larger  salary  1'  And  most  nobly  did  his  actions 
correspond  with  his  avowed  principles.  In  sev 
eral  instances  liberal  offers  were  made  to  him  in 
other  places,  but  were  promptly  and  decidedly 
refused." 

Says  another  of  these  letters,  "He  was  inde 
fatigable  in  his  labors.  He  applied  his  physical 
as  well  as  his  mental  ability  in  building  up  the 
church.  It  seemed  to  be  his  meat  and  drink  to 
do  the  will  of  his  Master.  Though  poorly  com 
pensated,  he  was  always  happy  when  Zion  pros 
pered.  On  one  occasion  he  remarked  that  he 
was  glad  the  Lord  and  the  Board  of  Missions  had 
sent  him  to  Harrison." 


M  E  M  0  I  R.  53 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Golliday's  letter  contains  the 
following:  "Bro.  S.  possessed  a  peculiar  talent  for 
a  peace  maker.  He  seldom  if  ever  failed  to  re 
concile  those  at  variance.  It  is  unhappily  true 
that  difficulties  often  arise  between  brethren  of 
the  same  church.  As  soon  as  he  learned  of  any 
such  difficulty  he  set  about  the  work  of  reconcil 
iation,  and  was  always  successful  in  his  efforts. 
He  in  short  possessed  to  a  very  happy  extent 
the  talents  and  graces  that  peculiarly  fit  a  minis 
ter  of  Christ  for  securing  the  respect  of  all  class 
es,  and  for  rendering  more  than  ordinary  service 
to  the  cause  of  the  blessed  Redeemer." 

"His  talent  for  family  visitation  rendered  him 
peculiarly  useful  as  a  pastor.  When  he  entered 
the  field  many  had  imbibed  very  loose  notions 
about  religion;  were  tinctured  with  infidelity; 
had  neither  the  habit  nor  taste  for  the  public 
means  of  grace;  and  one  important  part  of  his 
duty  was  to  visit  such  persons,  and  if  possible 
induce  them  to  attend  the  public  worship  of  God. 
His  manner  of  approach  and  method  of  address 
were  happily  calculated  to  conciliate  and  win 
their  respect  and  confidence,  and  to  impress  them 
with  a  sense  of  the  truth  and  importance  of  re 
ligion.  He  was  above  the  fear  of  man,  and  there 
fore  he  had  a  heart  to  speak  for  his  Master. 


54  MEMOIR. 

« 

Some  of  them  afterwards  became  active  mem 
bers  of  the  church ;  and  others,  if  not  persuaded 
to  embrace  the  truth,  were  nevertheless  softened 
in  spirit,  and  so  great  was  their  regard  for  him, 
that  when  he  visited  Harrison  after  his  removal 
from  that  place,  they  would  never  fail  to  be  pres 
ent  at  church,  knowing  that  he  would  preach, 
though  they  were  seldom  seen  in  the  house  of 
God  at  other  times." 

"If  Bro.  S.  erred  in  any  one  thing  more  than 
another,  it  was  in  spending  too  much  time  in  pas 
toral  visits;  in  consequence  of  which  he  some 
times  preached  with  less  preparation  than  he  de 
sired.  When  fully  prepared,  he  was  always  in 
teresting,  instructive,  and  edifying." 

These  reminiscences  furnished  by  intimate 
Christian  friends,  contain  several  things  which 
deserve  particular  notice.  One  is,  that  he  had  a 
small  salary,  and  yet  gave  liberally,  and  encour 
aged  his  congregation  to  contribute  liberally  to 
advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  other  places. 
He  judged  correctly  when  he  inculcated  most 
earnestly  among  his  people  the  sentiment  that 
an  expansive  benevolence  exercised  with  refer 
ence  to  the  church  at  large,  would  rather  increase 
than  diminish  their  ability  to  sustain  the  gospel 
at  home.  Though  an  apparent  solecism,  it  is  so 


MEMOIR.  55 

only  in  appearance.  The  explanation  is  easy. 
"God  is  able,"  says  Paul,  "to  make  all  grace 
abound  toward  you;  that  ye  always  having  all 
sufficiency  in  all  things,  may  abound  to  every 
good  work."  2  Cor.  9:  8,  And  as  he  is  able  to 
bless 'the  liberal  man,  so  he  has  promised  to  do  it, 
and  this  promise  is  so  specific  as  to  teach  us  that 
we  shall  be  blessed  very  much  in  proportion  to 
our  beneficence.  "He  who  soweth  sparingly 
shah1  reap  also  sparingly,  (see  v.  G)  and  he  who 
soweth  bountifully,  shall  reap  also  bountifully." 
Another  circumstance  is,  that  while  he  was  re 
markably  free  and  affable  in  his  intercourse  with 
society,  he  never  forgot  his  station  as  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  or  lowered  his  standing  or  offin;ii 
influence  in  the  estimation  even  of  worldly  men, 
by  undue  levity  or  unministerial  language  or  con 
duct.  In  this  respect  his  example  is  worthy  of 
imitation  by  all  who  sustain  or  are  seeking  this 
sacred  office. 

A  third  particular  worthy  of  notice  is,  that 
though  not  more  attractive  as  a  preacher  than 
many  others,  he  produced  so  favorable  an  im 
pression  on  his  acquaintances  by  his  personal  in 
tercourse,  as  to  influence  even  the  irreligious  to 
attend  upon  his  ministry.  We  refer  to  this  be 
cause  the  majority  of  all  who  preach  the  gospel 


56  MEMOIR. 

must  depend  for  their  success  not  solely  nor 
chiefly  upon  their  pulpit  talents,  but  upon  the 
force  of  divine  truth,  uttered  in  a  plain  and  scrip 
tural  manner;  and  hence  it  is  of  great  impor 
tance  that  they  gain  the  ears  of  the  community 
by  a  consistent  Christian  deportment,  and  agree 
able  and  winning  manners.     The  cause  of  Christ 
is  likewise  more  benefited  on  the  whole  by  the 
ministry  of  such  men,  than  of  those  whose  splen 
did  pulpit  powers  attract  crowds  to  the  sanctuary, 
but  who  possess  little  that  is  attractive  in  a  reli 
gious  point  of  view,  when  mingling  in  society. 
Dr.  S.  indeed  was  sometimes  less  impressive  in 
the  pulpit  than  he  ought  to  have  been,  consider 
ing  the  very  respectable  preaching  talents  which 
he  possessed.     He  preferred  to  sacrifice,  in  some 
degree,  his  reputation  in  this  respect,  to  what  he 
deemed  a  paramount  good,  by  means  of  pastoral 
visits  and  family  instruction.     In  this  particular 
he  probably  went  too  far.     Habitual  preparation 
for  the  pulpit  is  an  imperative  duty,  and  cannot 
be  neglected  by  any  minister  without  more  or 
less  injury  to  his  people.     No  amount  of  pasto 
ral  labor  out  of  the  pulpit  can  fully  compensate 
for  this  neglect.     But  while  preparation  for  pub 
lic  duties  should  be  carefully  made,  pastoral  vis 
its  are  highly  important,  and  should  on  no  account 


MEMOIR.  57 

be  omitted,  or  performed  so  seldom  as  to  make 
the  pastor  and  his  people  comparatively  strangers 
to  each  other. 

We  will  notice  one  thing  more,  viz.,  that  du 
ring  his  ministry  in  that  field,  though  there  was 
no  powerful  and  extensive  revival  of  religion  at 
any  particular  time,  there  was  a  continual  ingath 
ering  of  converts  into  the  church  of  Christ,  The 
conversion  of  souls  was  the  result  at  which  he 
constantly  aimed,  both  in  his  preaching  and  con 
versation.  This  controlled  the  choice  of  his  texts, 
formed  a  prominent  part  of  all  his  prayers,  and 
whenever  a  new  ease  occurred,  he  hailed  it  with 
expressions  of  gratitude  and  joy. 

If  a  minister  would  become  wise  in  winning 
souls  to  Christ,  he  mi(*f  (tint  to  ivin  them;  and  ma 
king  this  his  great  object  from  week  to  week,  he 
must  proceed  in  the  work  by  the  use  of  scriptu 
ral  means,  and  with  a  devout  and  prayerful  spirit. 
The  face  of  Moses  shone  when  addressing  the 
congregation  of  Israel,  because  he  had  been  with 
God  in  the  mount.  So,  if  a  gospel  minister  de 
sires  to  shine,  either  in  the  pulpit  or  elsewhere, 
he  must  hold  frequent  communion  with  God. 
This  is  the  source  of  true  wisdom.  If  he  should 
not  send  forth  coruscations  of  brilliant  and  daz 
zling  intellectual  light,  attracting  and  astonishing 


58  MEMOIR. 

the  multitudes,  he  will  not  fail  to  shine  morally 
and  spiritually,  reflecting  divine  light  from  the 
great  source  and  author  of  light  itself;  and  the 
sincere  inquirer  after  truth  will  be  attracted  by 
it,  and  be  led  thereby  into  the  pathway  of  eternal 
life. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  it  will  be  proper  to 
notice  a  few  things  which  develope  his  character 
as  a  husband  and  a  father.  From  the  circum 
stances  of  his  marriage,  as  hitherto  related,  the 
reader  will  infer  that  he  entertained  the  most  de 
voted  affection  for  his  wife.  This  was  fully  veri 
fied  afterwards, both  in  his  tenderness  for  her  when 
they  were  together,  and  in  his  letters  when  ab 
sent.  In  a  short  time  after  their  arrival  at  the 
West  in  182 9,  he  left  her  in  Cincinnati  to  attend 
a  meeting  of  Presbytery  at  Venice;  from  which 
place  he  wrote  after  the  following  manner: 

"Dearest: — My  enthusiasm  at  receiving  your 
delightful  note  is  a  little  abated,  now  that  twenty- 
four  hours  are  passed  since  its  reception ;  but  I  sig 
nified  my  feelings  at  the  time  by  every  suitable 
evidence  of  emotion.  I  had  felt  a  kind  of  ner 
vous  anxiety  to  hear  from  you,  which  was  greatly 
allayed  on  knowing  that  you  had  been  contented 
and  happy  since  I  left,  were  well  situated,  and 
enjoyed  communion  with  God.  Let  us  keep  on 


MEMOIR.  59 

praying  ourselves  and  one  another  into  a  content 
ed  and  happy  frame  of  mind.  We  shall  then  have 
a  'blessing  which  maketh  rich  and  addeth  no  sor 
row  therewith."5 

The  free,  unrestrained,  and  affectionate  man 
ner  which  characterizes  the  above  extract,  per 
vades  nearly  all  his  letters  addressed  to  her  up 
to  the  close  of  his  life;  as  also  the  same  prayer 
ful  spirit,  the  cultivation  of  which  he  speaks  of 
in  instances  too  numerous  to  be  particularly  re 
ferred  to.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  in  Day 
ton  in  1831,  he  wrote  thus:  "I  left  you,  my  dear, 
with  a  heavy  heart,  partly  for  fear  of  your  lone 
liness  and  excessive  anxiety  about  me  in  my  ab 
sence;  but,  my  dearest  Hannah,  try  to  commit 
me  to  our  covenant  God,  and  be  happy."  .... 
"Pray  enough  to  enjoy  a  quiet,  placid  state  of 
mind.  I  am  convinced  more  and  more  that  this 
has  much  to  do  with  our  health.  But  I  doubt 
not  that  for  a  still  higher  reason  you  will  pray 
often  for  me  and  for  the  souls  committed  to  our 
care.  I  trust  also  you  will  never  omit  family 
worship  in  its  season." 

In  the  spring  of  1835  he  visited  his  aged 
mother  and  other  relatives  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  du 
ring  which  time  Mrs.  Scovel's  friends  from  the 
east  paid  her  a  visit  in  Ohio.  With  reference  to 


GO  MEMOIR. 

this  he  wrote  to  her  soon  after  leaving  home  in 
the  following  manner:  "I  feel  great  anxiety,  my 
dear,  about  your  religious  influence  with  your 
friends  while  they  are  there.  We  cannot  tell 
how  much  may  depend  upon  it  for  a  whole  eter 
nity.  I  would  not  that  your  religion  should  ap 
pear  to  them  austere  or  forbidding,  but  meek,  and 
at  the  same  time  firm"  ....  "I  would  that 
they  may  see  that  you  regard  the  claims  of  our 
God  upon  us  to  be  infinitely  superior  to  all  other 
claims."  On  his  arrival  at  Albany  he  wrote  again. 
"I  found,''  says  he,  "fine  cheer  and  great  joy  in 
all  hearts  and  faces;  but  the  meeting  with  my 
dear  old  mother  was  almost  more  than  she  could 
bear.  I  perceive  on  her  the  weight  of  years,  and 
the  additional  weight  of  sorrows;  but  she  bears 
all  in  meekness,  and  seems  ripening  for  the  rest 
of  the  people  of  God.  Her  companion,  son,  and 
daughter-in-law  have  all  paid  the  debt  of  nature 
since  I  last  parted  with  her.  Time  and  youth 
can  heal  many  a  wound  that  in  aged  hearts  be 
comes  incurable.  But  she  lives  for  a  better 
world,  and  will  doubtless  find  infinite  gain  at  last 
in  going  there."  Alluding  again  to  the  visit  of 
her  parents  and  sister  to  her  during  his  absence, 
he  says,  "I  hope  nothing  will  be  wanting  that  is 
in  your  power  to  contribute  to  their  happiness." 


MEMOIR.  61 

Iii  October  of  the  same  year  he  wrote  to  her 
from  Dayton,  where  he  was  attending  the  meet 
ing  of  Synod:  "This  morning  comes  up  the 
Beecher  case,  and  'when  Greek  meets  Greek  then 
comes  the  tug  of  war.'*  Synod  is  very  full — a 
great  many  to  speak — a  great  press  of  business 
— and  your  poor  husband  is  Moderator;  a  respon 
sibility  too  high,  as  well  as  an  elevation  too  great. 
May  the  Lord  guide  and  support." 

In  May,  1836,  he  went  to  Pittsburgas  a  Com 
missioner  to  the  General  Assembly.  From  Gal- 
lipolis,  where  he  stopped  to  spend  the  Sabbath,  he 
addressed  her  as  follows:  "We  came  both  safely 
and  comfortably  to  this  point,  but  I  found  no  cler 
ical  brethren  on  board,  and  felt  very  homesick. 
As  the  solemn  hour  of  twilight  came  on,  my  ear 
caught  the  sound  of  music  on  the  guard  of  the 
boat;  I  quickly  hastened  to  the  spot;  found  the 
singers  to  be  a  cluster  of  lady  personages,  of 
whom  I  asked  for  "Days  of  absence."  They 
smiled,  but  I  persisted.  So  they  gave  me  'Days 
of  absence  sad  and  dreary.'  It  was  oldfashioned, 
and  at  that  they  smiled;  but  it  was  melodious  to 
me,  for  I  had  been  just  long  enough  out  from 


*  NOTE.  —  This  case  was  carried  by  appeal  from  the  Synod  to  the 
General  Assembly,  and  after  the  opening  of  the  latter,  was  withdrawn 
by  the  prosecutor. 


OZ  MEMOIR. 

my  earthly  treasures  to  feel  every  tone  and  sen 
timent  of  that  plaintive  piece. 

I  am  more  and  more  convinced,  my  dear  wife, 
that  a  happy  home  is  an  earthly  all  to  me,  and  I 
less  and  less  wonder  at  the  ruin  of  those  who 
cannot  be  happy  at  home."  ....  "This  place 
[Gallipolis]  was  settled  near  fifty  years  ago  by 
French  emigrants,  who  passed  through  great 
hardships,  until  by  death  and  other  causes,  one 
half  or  more  were  removed.  However,  the  place 
received  its  name  from  them,  and  the  remnant 
of  them  still  remaining  give  a  strong  infidel  tinge 
to  a  population  of  about  twelve  hundred  souls. 
There  is  a  tolerable  Presbyterian  Society  here, 
but  their  church  is  unfinished,  and  other  things 
augur  too  much  of  the  Laodicean  spirit.  0 
Lord,  keep  us  from  this  spirit — it  will  ruin  the 
fairest  prospects  the  world  ever  saw." 

During  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly 
he  penned  several  letters.  In  one  of  them  he 
says,  "I  preached  in  the  country  on  the  Sabbath, 
— returned  early  on  Monday — attended  a  Com 
mittee  on  Foreign  Missions — labored  in  the  bu 
siness  of  the  house  through  the  day,  and  threw 
off  a  speech  on  home  missions  in  the  evening,  at 
the  anniversary  of  the  Board  of  Missions."  .  .  . 
"An  application  has  been  renewed  to  me  to  take 


MEMOIR.  63 

charge  of  a  great  agency  for  the  West,  and  have 
our  residence  in  Louisville,  Ky.  What  say  you?" 
In  another  he  says,  "Yesterday  we  finished  the 
case  of  Mr.  Barnes,  after  having  it  more  than  a 
week  on  hand;  and,  'mirabile  dictu,'  not  only 
took  off  the  suspension,  but,  by  a  small  majority, 
endorsed  all  his  doctrines;  a  decision  which  will 
inevitably  do  great  mischief — grieve  the  pious, 
and  ultimately,  I  fear,  rend  the  church.  Noth 
ing  was  clearer  in  evidence  than  his  sad  departure 
from  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and  yet  the  New 
School  made  common  cause  with  such  departures, 
and  would  not  censure  them  at  all.  May  the 
Lord  guide  us  in  the  solemn  crisis."  .  .  .  "Prob 
ably  we  shall  not  break  up  till  the  last  of  this 
week,  and  possibly  not  till  sometime  next  week. 
But  in  accordance  with  your  excellent  exhorta 
tion  in  your  last,  I  shall  stay  as  long  as  the  great 
business  of  the  church  requires  my  attention." 

In  most  of  the  letters  from  which  the  above 
extracts  have  been  made,  he  either  sends  messa 
ges  of  love  to  his  children,  or  addresses  a  few 
words  to  them  in  particular,  which  their  mother 
was  requested  to  communicate.  The  following 
are  specimens:  "Love  to  the  dear  little  children, 
to  all  my  much  loved  household,  not  forgetting 
to  take  to  your  own  dear  self  the  largest  share 


64  MEMOIR. 

of  all."  "I  pray  for  you  daily,  and  for  our  be 
loved  babes,  that  God  would  perfect  in  us  his 
grace  and  the  work  of  God  with  power."  These 
expressions  of  tender  affection  for  his  children 
exhibit  the  genuine  feelings  of  his  heart,  as  uni 
formly  manifested  toward  them  at  the  fireside. 
He  was  sufficiently  stern  to  command  their 
prompt  obedience,  yet  so  affectionate  as  to  make 
their  obedience  the  willing  and  spontaneous  flow 
of  filial  affection,  rather  than  a  coerced  and  re 
luctant  submission  to  mere  authority.  His  great 
est  solicitude  was  directed  to  their  spiritual  good ; 
the  precious  fruits  of  which  he  was  permitted  to 
reap,  before  his  decease,  in  the  hopeful  conver 
sion  of  several  of  them  to  Christ. 

These  extracts,  besides  disclosing  his  views 
and  feelings  in  domestic  life,  exhibit  incidentally 
his  character  and  standing  as  a  presbyter.  As 
in  every  thing  else  he  engaged  in,  so  as  a  mem 
ber  of  Presbytery,  he  was  punctual  in  Ms  attend 
ance,  diligent  in  attending  to  all  the  business 
which  came  before  it,  and  remained  at  his  post 
until  the  whole  was  finished.  He  was  honored  by 
his  brethren  in  several  instances  during  the  pe 
riod  we  are  now  considering,  with  distinguished 
marks  of  their  confidence,  by  being  placed  on 
important  committees,  being  made  the  Modera- 


MEMOIR.  65 

tor  of  Synod,  and  delegated  as  their  Commis 
sioner  to  the  General  Assembly;  and  that  too  at 
a  time  of  peculiar  difficulty  in  the  church,  whose 
interests  demanded  the  exercise  of  the  soundest 
wisdom  on  the  part  of  those  who  were  called  to  di 
rect  her  affairs.  He  was  firm  and  decided,  yet 
never  disposed  to  pursue  rash  or  ultra  measures. 
His  mind  was  discriminating,  his  judgment  sound, 
his  action  deliberate.  Hence,  though  he  did  not 
sway  a  public  body  by  any  unusual  power  in  ar 
gument,  or  by  any  burst  of  forensic  eloquence, 
he  nevertheless  exerted  an  influence  which  was 
felt  and  respected. 

On  this  subject  several  rules  may  be  laid  down 
which  a  minister  ought  to  adopt  and  adhere  to, 
if  he  would  be  useful  in  the  judicatories  of  the 
church.  He  should  be  punctual  and  regular  in 
his  attendance;  make  himself  acquainted  with  our 
Form  of  Government  and  Discipline,  and  be  fa 
miliar  with  the  rules  prescribed  therein  for  con 
ducting  business;  endeavor,  when  in  attendance, 
to  have  a  single  eye  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  the  church,  and  not  the  attaining  of  any 
private,  personal  end;  never  assume  to  be  a  lead 
er,  by  taking  the  chief  direction  of  business,  and 
speaking  on  every  question  that  comes  before  the 
body;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  wait  to  be  led  by 


66  MEMOIR. 

others;  but  by  a  close  attention  to  the  subject 
under  discussion,  form  an  opinion  for  himself,  and 
when  necessary,  assign  his  reasons  for  his  views; 
pay  due  regard  to  the  opinions  of  others,  and 
act  with  becoming  meekness  towards  his  breth 
ren,  should  their  views  prevail,  instead  of  his 
own ;  and  never  leave  the  body,  except  under  ex 
traordinary  circumstances,  until  the  close  of  its 
sessions.  As  we  write  this  memoir  more  espe 
cially  for  those  who  are  preparing  for  the  gospel 
ministry,  we  deem  it  in  place  to  make  these  sug 
gestions,  and  to  commend  them  to  their  partic 
ular  consideration.  Those  who  have  enjoyed  the 
instructions  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Miller,  know 
with  what  earnestness  he  enjoined  upon  the  stu 
dents  of  the  Seminary  the  duty  of  punctual  at 
tendance  upon  the  judicatories  of  the  church. 
In  his  Memoirs  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rodgers,  he  says? 
"He  [Dr.  R.]  was  accustomed  often  to  lament 
the  negligence  of  this  duty,  which  he  observed 
in  many  of  his  brethren,  and  to  remark,  that  he 
was  persuaded  they  did  not  appreciate  as  they 
ought,  the  importance,  both  to  themselves  and 
the  church,  of  a  regular  attendance  on  judicato 
ries.  He  more  than  once  declared,  that  he  never 
knew  any  minister  attain  to  a  large  share  of  in 
fluence  or  weight  among  his  brethren,  who  was 


MEMOIR.  1)7 

habitually  negligent  of  such  attendance.  Nay, 
he  thought  it,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case, 
impossible  that  any  one  ever  should.  And  there 
are  probably  few  points  [adds  Dr.  M.]  concerning 
which 'all  the  experience  of  ecclesiastical  men 
more  decisively  concurs,  than  in  supporting  this 
opinion."  The  Rev.  Dr.  Green,  after  expressing 
the  same  sentiments,  remarks:  "The  reason  of 
this  seems  to  be,  that  a  neglect  in  this  particular 
cannot  take  place,  'without  indicating  in  him  who 
is  chargeable  with  it,  a  criminal  want  of  zeal  for 
the  general  interests  of  the  church."  Our  con 
gregations  are  entitled  to  our  most  diligent  and 
watchful  care;  and  if  we  have  families,  they  have 
a  claim  to  our  presence  and  attention;  but  we 
would  say  concerning  them  both,  as  they  stand 
related  to  Presbyterial  duties,  what  our  blessed 
Lord  did  with  reference  to  certain  other  things 
"These  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave 
the  others  undone." 


CHAPTER  III. 

HIS   AGENCY   FOR   THE    BOARD    OF   DOMESTIC    MISSIONS   IN  THE 
T^ESTERN   STATES. 

In  1836  Dr.  Scovel  accepted  an  agency  in  the 
West  for  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions.  Con 
cerning  this,  an  esteemed  and  valuable  member 
of  the  Harrison  Church  has  made  the  following 
communication.  "In  the  spring  of  1836,  Mr.  S. 
was  chosen  by  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions 
as  their  general  agent  for  five  Western  States. 
Before  making  it  known  to  the  church,  he  consult 
ed  privately  with  some  of  the  members,  who  at 
first  expressed  it  as  their  decided  impression  that 
it  would  be  wrong  for  him  to  leave  the  sphere  of 
action  where  he  had  been  the  means  under  God, 
of  building  up  the  waste  places  of  Zion,  and 
where  his  usefulness  was  continually  increasing. 
But  he  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood.  Al 
though  he  preferred  the  pastoral]  connection  to 
any  other  mode  of  doing  the  will  of  his  Heavenly 
Father,  yet  he  considered  it  a  call  of  Providence 
to  him  to  give  up  the  endearing  relation  of  pastor 
to  a  beloved  flock,  and  who  were  most  tenderly 


MEMOIR.  69 

attached  to  him,  and  also  to  submit  to  continued 
and  also  prolonged  separations  from  his  beloved 
and  interesting  family.  And  this  was  to  him  no. 
trifling  sacrifice.  For  never  was  there  a  person 
better  calculated  to  confer  and  receive  happiness 
in  his  pastoral  charge  and  in  the  scenes  of  domes 
tic  life.  By  his  persuasions  and  arguments  his 
people  were  at  length  prevailed  upon  to  give  a  re 
luctant  consent  to  have  the  pastoral  relation  dis 
solved.  But  it  was  only  by  convincing  them  that 
he  would  be  more  eminently  useful  to  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  the  church  in  general,  that  they 
were  induced  to  part  with  him.  On  the  14th  of 
August  he  preached  his  farewell  sermon  from 
Acts  20:  17th  and  35th  inclusive.  It  was  a 
most  solemn  and  affecting  scene;  the  beloved 
pastor  being  several  times  so  overcome  by  his 
feelings  as  to  be  unable  to  proceed,  and  the  peo 
ple  weeping  on  every  side.  The  place  was  liter 
ally  a  Bochim,  and  never  will  the  scenes  of  that 
day  be  forgotten." 

In  order  to  occupy  a  location  from  which  he 
could  have  easy  access  to  every  part  of  the  field, 
Dr.  Scovel  removed  his  family  to  Louisville,  Ky., 
and  two  years  afterwards  to  New  Albany,  Indi 
ana,  four  miles  distant  from  the  former  city. 
The  latter  clianuv  was  made  from  motives  of  econ- 


70  MEMOIR. 

omy — it  being  equally  accessible  with  Louisville, 
and  the  expense  of  supporting  his  family  consid 
erably  less.  Though  absent  from  home  a  large 
part  of  his  time,  he  was  there  sufficiently  often 
to  form  numerous  acquaintances  in  both  of  those 
places,  by  all  of  whom  he  was  much  respected 
and  esteemed.  His  bland  and  easy  manners,  his 
warm  and  devoted  friendship,  his  dignified  and 
consistent  Christian  deportment,  his  kindness  to 
those  in  want  and  distress,  his  entire  freedom 
from  backbiting  and  from  personal  collisions  with 
those  around  him,  and  his  prompt  and  cheerful 
readiness  to  assist  the  resident  pastors,  when 
through  sickness  or  absence,  his  pulpit  services 
were  needed,  are  well  known  to  many,  and  have 
been  mentioned  by  some  in  terms  of  strong  appro 
bation. 

At  the  time  he  commenced  his  agency  the 
Presbyterian  Church  was  seriously  agitated  by 
differences  of  sentiment  with  regard  to  doctrines 
and  policy.  The  latter  related  in  part  to  the 
manner  of  conducting  the  work  of  missions.  The 
question  at  issue  was,  whether  they  should  be 
conducted  by  the  church  as  such  in  her  organ 
ized  capacity,  or  by  voluntary  associations.  No 
little  difficulty  had  been  experienced  in  some  pla 
ces  by  the  operation  of  two  institutions  in  the 


MEMOIR.  71 

same  field,  which  had  the  appearance  (to  say  the 
least)  of  attempting  to  rival  each  other  in  the 
sympathies  and  patronage  of  the  people.     Dr. 
Scovel,  as  may  be  inferred  from  his  appointment 
to  this  agency,  sided  with  the  Boards  of  the 
church.     But  though  these  were  known  to  be  his 
sentiments,  it  was  also  known  that  he  was  kind 
and  conciliatory  towards  those  who  were  partial 
to  voluntary  associations,  and  he  was  deemed  to 
be  on  this  account  better  fitted  for  the  work  he 
was  invited  to  undertake.     He  was  not  sent  to 
carry  on  a  war  with  other  missionary  institu 
tions,  but  to  promote  the  interests  of  our  own. 
And  though  his  Christian  graces  were  sometimes 
tried,  and  the  amount  of  his  collections  dimin 
ished,  by  the  existence  of  conflicting  claims,  he 
patiently  submitted,  and  moved  forward,  bearing 
in  his  hand  the  olive  branch  of  peace,  and  turn 
ing  neither  to  the  right  nor  left,  except  for  the 
purpose  of  avoiding  collisions  and  promoting  a 
spirit  of  unity  and  brotherly  love  among  those 
whose    feelings    had   been   chafed   and    soured 
through  the  injurious  effects  of  divided  action. 
His  first  annual  report,  which  was  made  nine 
months  after  the  commencement  of  his  agency, 
exhibits  great  diligence,  and,  considering  the  cir 
cumstances,  a  good  degree  of  success.     The  only 


72  MEMOIR. 

part  of  this  report  which  we  have  in  our  possess 
ion  is  an  extract  contained  in  the  Annual  Report 
of  the  Board  for  1837,  which,  with  Dr.  McDow 
ell's  introductory  remarks,  is  as  follows: 

"Since  the  meeting  of  the  last  Assembly,  the 
Board  have  appointed  the  Rev.  Sylvester  Scovel, 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Oxford,  an  Agent  for  the 
Synods  of  Cincinnati,  Kentucky,  Indiana,  Illi 
nois,  and  Missouri. 

Mr.  Scovel  accepted  his  appointment,  and  en 
tered  on  the  duties  of  his  agency  about  the  1st 
of  August;  his  bounds  are  very  extensive,  and 
include  a  vast  amount  of  missionary  ground.  To 
perform  the  duties  of  agent  in  such  a  field,  re 
quires  great  selfdenial,  and  much  of  the  Spirit  of 
the  Gospel.  The  Board  rejoice  in  being  able  to 
say,  their  agent  has  hitherto  done  well,  and  the 
Lord  has  been  with  him. 

In  his  report  dated  April  28th,  he  says — 

"This  month  closes  three-fourths  of  a  year, 
since  my  engagement  in  the  service  of  the  Board ; 
I  expected  that  service  would  be  a  work  of  sac 
rifice  and  selfdenial.  I  have  found  it  so,  but  not 
more  so  than  was  anticipated.  I  have  been  com 
paratively  happy,  and  always  cheered,  with  the 
hope  of  rendering  some  honor  to  the  Master, 
and  some  benefit  to  his  beloved  Church.  In  the 


MEMOIR.  78 

service  of  the  Board,  in  nine  months,  I  have 
preached  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  sermons,  and 
delivered  one  hundred  and  thirty  addresses',  have 
visited  about  seventy  churches,  secured  to  the 
Board  $3,500,  attended  six  meetings  of  ecclesi 
astical  bodies,  and  traveled  full  four  thousand 
miles" 

At  this  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  the 
church  was  rent  in  two;  and  as  one  of  its  conse 
quences,  our  agent  experienced,  for  two  or  three 
years,  several  additional  difficulties.  In  some 
places,  churches  whose  members  had  previously 
differed  in  opinion,  were  now  actually  divided, 
and  were  so  weakened  by  the  operation,  that  in 
stead  of  being  "aid-giving,"  they  were  obliged  to 
become  "aid-receiving"  churches;  and  in  other 
instances,  where  they  did  not  divide,  there  were 
wounds  inflicted,  which  required  the  hand  of  a 
kind,  discreet,  and  skilful  physician,  to  heal.  In 
this  he  was  very  successful.  Sometimes  by  his 
personal  exertions  he  brought  parties  together 
which  were  on  the  point  of  complete  separation, 
and  at  others  he  prevented  a  division  by  procur 
ing  judicious  and  efficient  ministers  to  labor 
among  them  as  missionaries  or  pastors.  The 
supply  of  many  such  vacant  churches  is  to  be  as 
cribed  to  his  instrumentality,  but  for  which  they 
7 


74  MEMOIR. 

would  have  been  torn  asunder  by  the  prevalent 
spirit  of  discord,  or  have  died  out  from  the  want 
of  spiritual  culture. 

The  amount  of  collections  were  very  consider 
ably  increased  above  those  of  the  preceding  year, 
although  it  was  a  season  of  unusual  pecuniary 
pressure.  This  was  owing  in  part  to  the  aid  he 
received  from  several  brethren  as  voluntary 
agents,  but  principally  to  other  causes.  The  ne 
cessity  of  regular  agents  is  very  apparent  from 
the  facts  contained  in  his  next  annual  report,  to 
which  the  reader's  attention  is  invited. 

Louisville,  April  otith,  1838. 

DEAR  BROTHER  MCDOWELL — The  present  An 
nual  Report  from  this  Agency  should  not  fail  to 
express  devout  gratitude  to  God  that  the  West 
has  been  enabled  to  sustain  the  West  during  the 
past  year.  Over  fiifty  missionaries  have  been 
sustained  on  this  field  by  the  efforts  of  the 
churches  within  the  field;  and  that  this  should 
be  accomplished,  for  the  first  time,  in  this  year 
of  pecuniary  pressure,  is  truly  encouraging. 

My  general  mode  of  operating  towards  this 
result,  has  been  to  settle  the  different  periods  in 
the  year  at  which  each  Synod  should  be  visited, 
and  then  adhere  as  rigidly  as  possible  to  the  sys- 


MEMOIR.  iO 

tern;  stating  at  the  proper  time,  before  each  con 
gregation  severally,  the  plans,  successes,  and 
wants  of  the  Board,  impressing  upon  each,  that 
a  like  annual  effort  is  to  be  made  without  the  for 
mality  of  an  auxiliary,  and  then  receive  the  sub 
scription  for  the  year.  Indirect  effort,  of  course, 
has  been  kept  up  by  all  the  influences  made  to 
bear  on  the  case. 

In  the  detail  of  these  efforts,  I  have  visited 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  churches,  scatter 
ed  over  Ohio,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Illinois  and 
Missouri;  have  delivered  one  hundred  and  seven 
ty-five  sermons,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-five 
addresses;  have  assisted  at  twelve  protracted 
meetings;  labored  in  four  revivals  of  religion; 
and  do  trust  that  my  poor  influence  has  been 
employed  in  other  places  towards  bringing  on 
similar  seasons  of  "refreshing  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord."  I  am  ashamed  that  I  have  no 
more  faith ;  but  must  not  forget  the  divine  good 
ness  in  giving  such  unequivocal  evidence  of  favor 
to  my  scattered  ministry,  both  in  cheering  saints, 
and  in  the  conversion  of  sinners,  as  would  well 
compare  with  similar  successes  in  any  year  of  my 
pastoral  life. 

I  have  been  happy  to  find  in  most  of  the 
churches  visited  an  encouraging  state  of  religious 


76  MEMOIR. 

feeling,  as  indicated  in  various  ways,  but  espe 
cially  by  a  decidedly  advancing  interest  on  the 
subject  of  Missions. 

This  field  has  secured  to  your  Board  during 
the  yesLijSix  thousand  five  hundred  dollar s,  in  gath 
ering  which  I  have  traveled  over  five  thousand 
miles,  mostly  on  horseback  or  in  my  own  convey 
ance.  Let  it  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that 
fully  one  third  of  my  time  has  been  spent  in  va 
cancies,  or  at  stations  already  occupied  as  mis 
sionary  ground,  where  ministerial  aid  was  given, 
and  the  way  prepared  for  the  introduction  of  mis 
sionaries  as  fast  as  they  could  be  obtained. 

A  considerable  amount  of  voluntary  agency 
has  been  employed  on  this  field,  but  with  very 
little  success.  A  few  have  made  noble  efforts; 
but  the  great  body  of  our  dear  brethren  here  are 
so  far  missionaries  themselves,  that  their  necessa 
ry  absence  from  their  wide  and  scattered  charges 
are  all  to  which  they  are  conscientiously  willing 
to  yield.  They  will,  however,  I  trust,  be  able  to 
accomplish  more  hereafter.  But  it  is  my  delib 
erate  conviction  that  such  agency  will  never  be 
so  efficient  that  all  others  can  safely  be  dispensed 
with,  and  while  it  should  be  brought  more  vigor 
ously  into  the  field  than  hitherto,  yet  it  can  be 
thus  brought  in,  only  as  an  auxiliary.  This  will 


MEMOIR.  77 

be  more  apparent  when  it  is  known,  that  not  even 
three  hundred  dollars  of  the  whole  sum  secured 
to  the  Board  here  this  year,  has  been  secured, 
without  the  direct  or  indirect  effort  of  your  Gen 
eral  Agent.  Of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty 
churches  visited  this  year,  which  have  contribu 
ted  liberally  to  your  cause,  I  know  not  of  more 
than  six  that  were  in  the  habit  of  contributing 
any  thing,  until  the  establishment  of  an  Agency 
here  "wholly  given  to  this  very  tiling."  A  reg 
ular  Agent  goes  to  three  small  churches  one  year, 
and  receives  for  our  cause  one  hundred  dollars; 
a  good  and  active  brother  goes  the  next  year  to 
these  three  churches  as  a  voluntary  agent,  and 
receives  just  thirteen  dollars  twelve  and  a  half 
cents.  An  active,  excellent  pastor  is  invited  to 
call  up  our  cause  before  his  church;  he  does  so 
and  receives  twelve  dollars  and  fifty  cents;  your 
regular  agent  comes  along  at  another  time  on  a 
week  day,  and  receives  fifty  dollars  from  the  same 
church. 

Other  facts  of  this  kind  could  be  stated  from 
my  note  book,  were  farther  illustration  necessary 
to  show,  that  some  one  in  each  large  field  must  be 
wholly  given  to  an  agency  as  a  means  of  any 
large  success. 

Privations  and  trials  ever  await  an  Agent. 


78  MEMOIR. 

His  comforts,  like  those  of  his  brethren,  are  very 
much  concentrated  in  his  home,  \\\s>  pastoral  charge 
and  his  study;  but  from  all  these  he  is  a  stranger 
and  an  alien;  and  in  lieu  of  them  meets  the  cold 
and  heat,  the  snow  and  rain,  the  frost  and  mud, 
the  blows  and  calms  of  a  wanderer's  life.  He 
shudders  in  the  blast  of  the  mountain  top,  and 
then  goes  down  to  inhale  fever  and  ague  in  the 
vale  below;  if  the  fly  of  the  prairie  annoys  him 
in  the  dry  season,  he  recedes  but  to  the  swimming 
streams  of  the  wet  season,  and  thence  again,  still 
worse,  to  the  same  streams  engorged  with  snow 
and  ice  in  the  cold  season.  With  such  scenes  I 
have  been  familiar  by  an  absence  from  my  family 
four-fifths  of  the  past  year,  while  my  vocation 
brought  me  in  continual  contact  with  self,  that 
strongest  remnant  of  a  partially  sanctified  nature. 
But  it  would  be  unjust  not  to  say,  that  our  cause 
and  its  poor  advocate  have  been  every  where  re 
ceived  to  an  unexpectedly  kind  and  hospitable 
liberality,  for  which  my  thanks  are  now  returned 
to  the  grantors,  as  they  have  often  been  before 
to  "the  Giver  of  every  good  gift." 

I  have  been  permitted  to  aid  in  the  location  of 
twelve  additional  missionaries  on  this  field  in  the 
past  year  as  near  as  I  can  now  say,  and  yet  "what 
are  these  among  so  many?"  The  destitutions  are 


MEMOIR.  79 

still  very  great.  In  Kentucky  alone  are  fifty  va 
cant  churches,  and  over  forty  entire  counties 
lacking  the  stated  Presbyterian  means  of  grace. 
The  destitutions  are  nearly  as  great  in  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  and  far  greater  in  Missouri.  One 
hundred  missionaries  are  wanted  this  hour  in  the 
West,  but  so  great  and  so  special  a  want  of  half 
that  number  is  felt,  and  they  are  so  earnestly  de 
sired,  under  God,  at  the  hands  of  your  Board, 
that  I  trust  you  will  not  fail  of  sending  that  num 
ber  the  coming  year  into  our  wastes,  where  we 
are  far  from  our  Father's  house,  and  are  literally 
starving  unto  eternal  death. 

With  great  respect,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOVEL, 

General  Agent. 

His  two  next  reports  exhibit  a  still  larger  in- 
nva.se  both  in  missionaries  and  funds.  He  so 
systematized  his  labors  as  to  visit  with  regularity 
the  same  churches  at  a  particular  period  each 
year.  Hence  those  contributing  in  a  given 
month  of  the  preceding  year,  were  expecting  him 
at  that  very  time  again.  This  plan  he  continued 
with  beneficial  results  till  the  close  of  his  agency. 
A  missionary  spirit  was  also  on  the  increase,  and 
there  was  more  unanimity  in  the  direction  which 
the  churches  gave  to  their  benefactions.  There 


80  MEMOIR. 

was  no  increase,  we  believe,  of  a  sectarian  spirit, 
though  there  probably  was  of  a  denominational 
one.  He  inculcated  the  sentiment  that  all  the 
members  of  our  church  ought  to  contribute  to  our 
own  Boards.  They  might  contribute  to  others 
also  if  they  chose ;  but  to  give  to  others  first, 
and  then  to  their  own,  or  not  to  their  own  at  all, 
is  as  preposterous  as  for  a  man  to  neglect  his  own 
family,  and  bestow  his  attention  upon  those  of 
his  neighbors.  This  sentiment,  so  just  in  itself, 
and  so  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  any  church, 
had  been  practically  departed  from  to  some  ex 
tent  in  the  Presbyterian  body,  to  the  great  inju 
ry  of  our  missionary  operations.  The  effect  of  a 
return  to  the  proper  course  on  this  subject  was 
immediately  visible  in  the  increased  amount  col 
lected,  and  the  consequent  increase  of  efficiency 
in  the  Board  itself.  The  Board  is  only  the  organ 
of  the  church,  and  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  be  ef 
ficient,  unless  adequate  means  are  placed  at  its 
disposal.  His  reports  for  1839  and  1840  are  as 
follows: 

MISSIONARY  ROOMS,     ) 
Louisville,  May  1st,  1839.  £ 
DEAR  BROTHER  MCDOWELL — The  former  report 
from  this  agency,  stated  the  fact,  that  in  the  last 
year  "the  West  had  sustained  over  fifty  mission- 


MEMOIR.  81 

aries."  We  are  happy  now  to  state,  that  nearly 
twice  that  number  are  employed  on  this  same 
field,  and  that  the  West  still  sustains  them.  The 
providence  of  God  has  wrought  for  us  most  sig 
nally  in  the  year  now  closed.  Our  greatest  em 
barrassment  heretofore  has  been  the  lack  of  men; 
but  these  have  been  raised  up,  till  I  have  been 
gladly  called  to  aid  in  locating  about  fifty  on  this 
field  in  the  time,  who  are  now  supplying  one 
hundred  and  fifty  of  our  famishing  destitutions 
with  the  bread  of  life.  They  are  men  of  faith, 
and  prayer,  and  talent,  and  energy,  who  will 
doubtless  be  owned  of  God  in  his  blessed  work, 
and  whose  hope  of  good-doing  is  certainly  not 
the  less  for  their  being  mostly  western  men. 

Your  system  of  itineracies  is  hailed  with  great 
joy  in  the  West.  Our  destitutions  are  so  nu 
merous  and  scattered,  that  no  other  plan  can 
reach  their  exigencies.  Accordingly,  this  plan 
was  acted  upon  to  some  extent  with  us  before  its 
regular  adoption  by  the  Board,  but  has  been  car 
ried  into  effect  in  numerous  cases,  with  the  hap 
piest  results  on  this  field  since  its  adoption  as  a 
system.  And  we  do  hope  our  young  brethren,  as 
they  successively  become  prepared  for  the  work, 
will  be  fired  with  a  truly  primitive  zeal;  a  zeal 
that  faces  the  cross,  the  cost,  the  toil,  the  self- 


82  MEMOIR. 

denial  of  the  service;  that  looks  not  for  an  easy 
settlement,  but  for  a  place  to  save  souls;  not  for 
"a  snuggery,"  but  for  an  itineracy. 

In  furtherance  of  your  general  objects,  we 
have  established  an  office  at  this  place,  which,  by 
combining  several  other  interests  with  ours,  is  but 
slightly  expensive  to  the  Board,  while  it  promises 
large  benefits  to  the  cause. 

There  is  manifestly  an  increasing  interest  felt 
in  the  West  on  the  subject  of  Domestic  Missions. 
Voluntary  agencies  are  becoming  somewhat  more 
effective — friends  are  becoming  more  decided 
and  active — contributions  are  increasing,  and  the 
sentiment  is  gaining  ground,  that  your  Board  is 
the  right  arm  of  the  church  for  conquering  ter 
ritory  to  the  Saviour,  and  to  leave  that  arm  pal 
sied  by  inaction,  would  be  but  to  leave  that  Board 
to  a  helpless  inefficiency. 

My  system  of  operations  has  been  kept  forward 
as  usual.  I  have  brought  the  claims  of  the 
Board  before  one  hundred  and  sixty  churches, 
sundered  widely  rrom  each  other,  and  scattered 
over  six  States;  delivered  one  hundred  and  fifty 
sermons,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-five  ad 
dresses;  attended  eighteen  communion  seasons, 
and  ten  meetings  of  church  judicatories ;  found 
eight  individuals  who  nobly  agreed  to  sustain  a 


MEMOIR.  83 

missionary  each,  and  twenty  who  pledged  the 
sum  requisite  for  honorary  membership  in  the 
Board;  have  traveled  five  thousand  five  hundred 
miles,  and  secured  to  the  Board  in  the  time,  §8,000. 

In  prosecuting  this  work,  my  toils  and  expo 
sures,  perils  by  land  and  water,  and  in  the  wilder 
ness,  have  been  truly  severe;  but  no  vicissitudes 
of  cold  or  heat,  storm  or  calm,  have  been  such  a 
suffering  as  absence  from  my  family  in  the  ill 
nesses  with  which  they  have  been  at  different 
times  attacked  during  the  year.  In  an  absence 
of  four-fifths  of  my  time,  I  was  necessarily  gone 
in  most  of  these  severe  distresses,  and  was  but 
just  returned  from  a  weary  trip  to  witness  the 
death  of  a  beloved  member  of  my  household;  and 
when  I  saw  that  her  soft  eyes  were  glazed  in 
death,  and  I  had  never  ministered  a  healing  balm 
to  her  oppressed  spirit,  nor  to  her  wasted  body, 
I  most  keenly  felt  the  sacrifice  called  for  by  an 
agency.  But  her  meek  and  pure  spirit  has  gone 
to  her  heavenly  home,  while  our  blessed  Shep 
herd  has  extended  his  tenderest  care  to  the  rest 
of  the  household,  both  in  sickness  and  health. 

The  correspondence  has  become  an  important 
and  laborious  part  of  this  agency,  and  often  con 
sumes  the  nights,  as  well  as  the  days,  of  my  short 
intervals  at  home.  But  I  am  permitted 


84  MEMOIR. 

times  to  feel  how  great  is  the  privilege  to  toil  and 
suffer  for  Him  "who  hath  loved  us  and  given  him 
self  for  us;"  may  but  his  Spirit  attend  all  our 
missionaries  and  agents,  then  will  our  work  be 
joyous  and  blessed.  Our  destitutions  are  yet 
immensely  great,  and  the  goodly  number  recent 
ly  located  as  laborers  here,  seems  lost  as  a  drop 
in  the  ocean.  In  Arkansas,  Iowa,  and  Wisconsin, 
there  is  almost  a  total  lack  of  Presbyterian  means 
of  grace,  while  in  Missouri  there  are  but  twenty- 
five  laborers  to  all  its  immense  population;  and 
even  in  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and 
Tennessee,  we  can  scarcely  count  the  waste  pla 
ces  that  remain.  We  want  every  brother  who  is 
ready  "to  endure  hardship  as  a  good  soldier," 
and  to  all  such,  we  earnestly  say — "Come  over 
and  help  us." 

With  great  regard,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER   SCOYEL, 

General  Agent. 

STEAMER  AMAZON,  OHIO  RIVER,  ) 
May  1st,  1840.          \ 

DEAR  BROTHER  McDowELL — It  is  known  to 
the  Board  that  the  Western  Agency  comprises 
a  very  wide  field.  It  extends  from  three  to  nine 
hundred  miles  in  different  directions  from  Louis 
ville;  and  while  the  travel  that  annually  compas- 


MEMOIR.  85 

ses  this  field,  is  excessively  laborious,  it  has  been 
attended  with  greater  dangers  the  last  year  than 
ever  before.  But  I  have  been  kindly  permitted  to 
go  and  return  safely  through  storms,  cold  and  ice. 

The  greatest  embarrassment  in  the  time  is  the 
unparalleled  "pressure"  which  has  fallen  upon 
the  country.  By  virtue,  of  a  system  of  annual 
calls,  and  by  the  force  of  principle  in  the  con 
tributors,  your  receipts  in  the  West  have  not 
fallen  short,  but  will  be  shown,  by  the  Treasurer's 
Report,  to  have  increased  some  four  hundred 
dollars  in  the  year,  beyond  the  receipts  for  any 
similar  period. 

In  accordance  with  the  above  fact,  I  would  say 
with  gratitude,  that  our  voluntary  agencies  are 
becoming  decidedly  more  effective;  and  we  trust 
the  experiment  in  the  West  will  fully  show  the 
wisdom  of  the  Board  in  sustaining  only  its  com 
paratively  small  number  of  agents,  and  thus  draw 
towards  the  Board,  in  still  greater  measure,  the 
affectionate  confidence  of  the  members  of  our 
Church. 

We  have  been  permitted  to  locate  a  large  num 
ber  of  men  and  valued  laborers  on  this  field  du 
ring  the  year,  at  whose  coming  our  wastes  have 
rejoiced,  but  owing  to  so  many  brethren  ending 
their  connection  with  the  Board,  because  their 
congregations  needed  no  further  aid,  our  present 


86  MEMOIR. 

number  in  the  West  is  not  greater  than  was  re 
ported  in  1839. 

The  correspondence  in  these  bounds  is  every 
year  becoming  a  heavier  task;  and  for  the  wise 
conducting  of  it,  requires  more  time  than  can  be 
given  by  one  who  is  obliged  almost  constantly  to 
travel. 

In  the  year  now  closed,  I  have  been  absent 
from  my  family  about  four-fifths  of  the  time; 
have  brought  the  claims  of  the  Board  before  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  churches,  widely  severed 
from  each  other;  have  delivered  about  two  hun 
dred  sermons;  have  labored  in  six  cheering  revi 
vals;  attended  fourteen  communion  seasons  and 
eight  meetings  of  church  judicatories;  have  trav 
eled  seven  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  and  se 
cured  to  the  Board  in  the  time,  eight  thousand 
four  hundred  dollars. 

I  cannot  better  describe  the  wastes  that  re 
main  in  every  part  of  my  field,  than  to  say,  the 
more  of  them  that  become  cultivated,  the  more 
appear  to  remain  to  le  cultivated,  while  the  cry 
from  the  whitened  fields  waxes  louder  and  louder 
for  the  reaper  forthwith  to  thrust  in  the  sickle, 
and  gather  the  wasting  harvest. 
Most  truly,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOVEL, 

General  Agent 


MEMOIR.  87 

Dr.  S.  took  special  pains  while  conducting  his 
agency  to  give  opportunity  to  every  member  of 
the  church  to  contribute  to  this  object.  His 
usual  mode  was  to  preach  on  the  subject  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  take  up  a  subscription,  to  be  paid 
before  he  left  the  place.  He  then  obtained  the 
names  of  all  the  members  who  were  absent,  and 
called  upon  them  at  their  houses.  His  perseve 
rance  in  this  respect,  and  particularly  the  urgen 
cy  of  his  personal  applications,  were  sometimes 
objected  to,  and  opprobrious  epithets  were  em 
ployed  with  regard  to  him.  Possibly  his  zeal  for 
the  cause  may  have  carried  him  too  far  in  some 
instances;  but  as  a  general  thing  we  are  persuad 
ed  the  real  ground  of  objection  was  not  his  indis 
cretion,  but  an  unwillingness  to  give,  on  the  part 
of  those  who  took  exceptions  to  his  course.  As 
the  venerable  Secretary  of  the  Board  once  re 
marked,  "An  agent  has  to  deal  with  the  hardest 
side  of  the  human  heart,  and  must  expect,  there 
fore,  in  many  instances,  to  meet  with  resistance." 
Dr.  S.,  however,  was  conscientious  in  the  matter; 
—  he  was  acting  not  for  himself,  but  for  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  was  therefore  indisposed  to 
relax  his  exertions  or  alter  the  mode  of  his  pro 
ceeding. 

His  reports  for  1841  and  1842  exhibit  the 


88  MEMOIK. 

same  diligence  and  success  as  the  preceding,  and 
are  worthy  of  special  notice  from  their  particular 
allusions  to  the  extensive  destitutions  of  large 
portions  of  the  Western  country,  and  the  efforts 
of  Papists  to  pre-occupy  thefield.  This  was  a 
theme  which  he  often  dwelt  upon  in  his  preach 
ing.  They  are  also  deserving  of  notice  from  their 
reference  to  several  seasons  of  precious  revivals 
of  religion  which  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy,  and 
to  aid  in  promoting;  shewing  that  agents  who 
possess  the  right  spirit  are  not  only  useful  in  col 
lecting  funds,  but  in  winning  souls  to  Christ. 

Louisville,  May  10$,  1841. 
The  Board  cannot  be  too  well  aware,  that  this 
field  is  covered  by  more  than  thirty  Missionary 
Presbyteries — that  nearly  every  State  to  which 
my  labors  extend,  numbers  fully  half  its  counties 
as  destitute  of  Presbyterian  preaching — that  one 
thousand  wastes,  here  and  on  the  borders  of  the 
field,  demand  immediate  supply  of  the  Gospel, 
and  that  their  only  hope  of  supply  hangs  on  the 
benevolence  of  the  Saviour,  which  ought  to  dwell 
in  the  glowing  hearts  of  his  disciples.  These 
lone  wastes,  without  a  consecrated  Sabbath,  with 
out  a  living  ministry,  without  light  or  means,  and 
compassed  by  every  force  of  error  and  infidelity, 


MEMOIR.  89 

are  annually  increasing  far  beyond  the  ratio  of 
the  national  increase  of  our  population,  which  is 
equal  to  a  State  per  year,  and  a  congregation 
each  day.  If  these  destitutions,  already  so  ex 
tensive,  be  left  indefinitely  to  extend  beyond  all 
power  of  the  church  to  supply  them,  who  can 
look  calmly  on  the  consequences,  when  the  vast 
enterprize  and  resources  of  the  country  shall 
unite  to  despise  God  and  prostrate  the  nation? 
Surely  here  is  an  immense  responsibility  resting 
on  the  Church,  the  measure  of  which  cannot  be 
less  than  the  sending  of  every  well-qualified  man 
that  can  be  obtained,  into  these  wastes,  for  their 
cultivation. 

Towards  their  supply,  I  am  happy  to  say,  that 
more  has  been  accomplished  the  present  than  in 
any  previous  year.  A  large  number  of  excellent 
laborers  have  been  located  at  some  of  the  most 
needy  points;  and  the  seeking,  obtaining,  and  lo 
cating  brethren  in  these  promising  places,  has  be 
come  a  most  interesting  and  useful  part  of  my 
labors  the  last  year,  contributing  to  the  cheering 
fact  that  we  nwv  have  a  larger  number  of  Mis 
sionaries  in  the  West  than  ever  before — of  whom 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  say,  that  they  are  self-denied 
men,  acceptable  to  their  people,  and  blessed  of 
God.  A  considerable  number  of  them  are  occu- 
8 


90  MEMOIR. 

pied  with  itinerancies — a  sytem  of  labor  not  only 
useful,  but  vital9  to  the  interests  of  our  church  in 
the  West.  While  our  wastes  are  spreading  so 
immeasurably  beyond  our  power  to  supply  either 
with  men  or  means,  it  is  a  first  dictate  to  extend 
every  man's  influence  as  widely  as  can  be  consis 
tent  with  its  efficiency. 

But  along  with  our  prosperity  in  men  has  come 
our  distress  for  means.  The  usual  privations,  fa 
tigues,  and  exposures,  that  are  never  few  in  an 
agency,  have  been  borne;  but  the  unfeigned 
money  distress  everywhere  met,  has  made  this 
the  bitterest  year  for  an  agent  in  the  West.  I  have 
traveled  this  year  literally  among  "ruined  hopes 
and  broken  fortunes."  And  though  this  is  not  the 
condition  of  many,  yet  they  are  in  such  various 
ways  connected  with  this  condition  of  others,  that 
the  collection  of  the  Lord's  dues  for  any  object,  has 
required  a  sacrifice  of  feeling  known  to  no  man 
who  has  not  tried  the  work.  The  consequence 
has  been,  that  notwithstanding  the  great  exer 
tions  called  for  by  the  necessities  of  the  Board, 
the  receipts  of  the  present  year  have  fallen  off  to 
a  small  extent,  to  the  great  inconvenience  and 
suffering  of  some  of  our  Missionaries,  who  could 
not  promptly  obtain  their  dues  from  the  Board. 
In  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  brethren  in 


MEMOIR.  91 

Missouri,  Rev.  W.  W.  Robertson,  of  Oxford,  Ohio, 
was  appointed  last  fall  by  the  Board,  with  a  view 
to  his  occupying  Missouri  and  Illinois  in  the  com 
bined  character  of  Agent  and  Evangelist.  His 
labors  have  been  acceptable  and  highly  useful; 
but  from  sickness  of  his  family,  and  other  causes 
beyond  his  control,  have  not  resulted  in  any  ma 
terial  increase  of  the  funds  of  the  Board. 

While  it  is  the  commendable  policy  of  the 
Board  to  employ  an  amount  of  agencies  utterly  in 
adequate  annually  to  compass  the  surface  of  any 
given  field,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  co-opera 
tion  of  a  few  brethren  in  these  bounds  as  volun 
tary  agents,  has  been  both  efficient  and  encourag 
ing;  has  been  truly  such  as  the  Board  depends 
upon  for  the  complete  success  of  their  noble  en 
terprise.  There  is  here  also  a  growing  habit  of 
contribution  to  your  funds — a  habit  much  aided 
by  a  certain  time  in  the  year  being  appointed  by 
nearly  every  Synod  in  the  West,  for  the  presenta 
tion  of  your  cause  in  these  bounds  severally. 
But  let  no  man  deceive  himself  by  depending 
upon  this  habit,  without  the  unwelcome  labor  of 
agents.  Personally,  I  shall  be  happy  when  my 
term  expires.  But  is  it  not  evident  that  no  bu 
siness  can  be  done  without  some  one  to  do  it? 
It  may  be  said,  there  are  plenty  to  do  it  in  this 


92  MEMOIR. 

department;  but  the  fact  will  return  upon  you 
at  the  end  of  the  year  in  empty  coffers  and  dis 
honored  credit,  that  there  is  no  one  to  do  the 
work  when  there  is  no  agent.  From  a  five  years' 
experience  in  this  service,  I  give  it  as  my  most 
deliberate  conviction,  that  without  an  agency  in 
the  West,  you  may  not  for  the  next  year  expect 
a  thousand  dollars,  out  of  ten  thousand  which  you 
ought  to  receive. 

From  the  same  experience,  too,  I  am  obliged 
to  utter  my  most  solemn  persuasion,  that  your 
enterprise  is,  to  souls,  to  the  church,  and  to  the 
country,  second  to  none  in  importance ;  and  to  this 
sentiment  I  rejoice  that  there  is  a  most  hearty 
response  from  growing  numbers  in  the  West. 

In  the  year  now  closed,  I  have  been  absent 
from  my  family  four-fifths  of  the  time;  have 
brought  the  claims  of  the  Board  before  one  hun 
dred  and  eighty  churches;  have  aided  in  locating 
twenty-five  Missionaries ;  have  preached  about 
two  hundred  sermons;  have  labored  in  several 
blessed  revivals;  have  attended  twelve  communion 
seasons,  and  ten  meetings  of  church  judicatories; 
have  traveled  eight  thousand  miles,  and  secured 
to  the  Board  in  the  time,  eight  thousand  dollars. 

Most  truly  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOVEL. 


MEMOIR.  93 

Louisville,  May  10/fc,  1842. 
MY  DEAR  BROTHER — I  need  say  nothing  of 
the  extent  of  this  field,  covering  as  it  does  the 
most  of  seven  States  and  two  Territories,  nor  of 
the  rapidly  increasing  population  which  every 
year  spreads  more  densely  over  the  surface.  Nor 
need  I  carry  forward  your  anticipations  till  the 
next  census,  when  the  political  destinies  of  the 
whole  Union  will  be  in  the  hands  of  the  dwellers 
in  this  valley.  But  the  influences  now  struggling 
for  ascendency  in  the  West  demand  earnest  at 
tention.  These  are  infidelity,  error,  and  Cathol 
icism.  Infidelity  is  rampant,  soul-destroying  er 
ror  comes  in  like  a  flood,  and  the  last,  more  pow 
erful  than  all,  is  spreading  its  power  over  this 
part  of  our  land,  having  ten  dioceses,  and  over 
three  hundred  priests  west  of  the  mountains. 
These  forces  are  distributed  wisely;  they  are  sent 
up  our  largest  rivers  to  make  early  locations 
where  they  can  cluster  the  population  around 
them,  and  assimilate  that  population  to  their 
habits  and  principles.  Thus  they  keep  on  the 
outskirts  of  our  settlements  to  subjugate  our 
vast  opening  surface  to  their  dominion.  But 
they  visit  every  place  that  holds  out  to  them  the 
hope  of  ascendency  over  the  ruling  masses  of  so 
ciety.  The  past  year  has  been  signalized  by  the 


94  MEMOIR. 

union  of  these  and  cognate  influences  to  possess 
the  ground,  and  in  many  places  they  have  actu 
ally  possessed  it,  so  that  these  very  places  are 
not  now  open  to  sound  Presbyterian  labors,  as 
they  have  been  for  years  before.  The  question, 
therefore,  has  never  been  urged  upon  the  church 
as  it  is  this  moment:  "Shall  ive  go  up  and  possess 
the  land?'''  or  leave  it  to  be  subdued  and  held  by 
these  hostile  influences. 

In  view  of  this  state  of  the  case,  the  impor 
tance  of  your  Board  is  strongly  seen.  Shah1  we 
send  the  tide  of  salvation  over  this  whole  sur 
face?  Shall  we  thus  save  the  unevangelized 
millions  of  the  West,  and  thus  save  our  country, 
and  thus  send  down  to  the  latest  day  the  streams 
of  healthful  influence  to  which  we  could  safely 
commit  our  posterity?  The  answer,  under  God, 
must  be  given  by  your  Board. 

We  rejoice  to  report  in  this  field  a  decided 
increase  of  favor  to  your  enterprise.  This  has 
been  shown  by  the  earnest  co-operation  of  some 
brethren,  and  the  large  liberality  of  individuals 
and  churches,  who,  "out  of  their  poverty  and  dis 
tresses,  have  abounded  in  their  liberality."  This 
is  shown  by  an  increase  of  contributions  over  the 
amount  received  on  the  same  field  last  year, 
though  "the  pressure"  of  any  other  year  was  not 


MEMOIR.  95 

a  tithe  of  what  has  been  suffered  the  present. 
The  measure  of  earthly  loss  was  full  before ;  this 
year  it  has  overflowed,  until  banks  and  individu 
als  have  tasted  deeply  the  unmingled  bitterness. 
But  though  it  is  a  matter  of  gratitude  that  our 
Board  has  been  to  such  an  extent  sustained,  de 
spite  these  distresses,  yet  the  fact  should  not  be 
withheld,  that  sufficient  means  could  not  be  ob 
tained  to  pay  the  pittance  promised  to  our  mis 
sionary  brethren  severally;  and  in  consequence 
some  of  them  have  suffered  bitterly  in  their  fam 
ilies.  Example :  one  brother  writes  to  me  that  a 
note  against  him  had  been  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  officer  for  collection;  another,  that  he  ex 
pected  a  warrant  upon  his  furniture  to  satisfy  his 
rent;  and  a  third,  that  his  character  was  suffering 
because  he  could  not  pay  his  little  dues;  and  all 
because  we  could  not  raise  the  means  which  the 
Board  had  promised  them. 

But  amidst  these  trials  a  greater  work  has 
been  accomplished  this  year  than  in  any  previous 
one.  We  have  over  one  hundred  missionaries  in 
the  bounds  of  this  agency,  twenty-four  of  whom  I 
have  been  permitted  to  aid  in  locating  during  the 
year.  These  men  have  been  laborious  and  self- 
denying,  and  their  efforts  have  shared  in  the  large 
blessings  of  God.  Many  revivals  have  occurred 


96  MEMOIR. 

in  connection  with  their  labors.  "The  solitary 
place  has  been  glad  for  them,"  and  "the  wilder 
ness  has  blossomed"  at  their  approach. 

Rev.  W.  W.  Robertson  has  continued  his  la 
bors  as  agent  and  evangelist  in  Missouri  and  Illi 
nois  during  most  of  the  year;  and  though  these 
labors  have  not  resulted  in  any  increase  of  funds 
to  our  treasury,  yet  they  have  been  highly  accept 
able  and  useful  among  the  churches  of  that  re 
gion,  where  he  was  instrumental  in  adding  to 
their  communion  one  hundred  and  thirty  in  a 
single  month. 

In  the  year  now  closed,  the  urgent  necessities 
of  this  agency  have  called  for  more  sacrifices,  in 
all  respects,  than  in  any  previous  year.  In  half 
of  the  year,  in  which  an  account  was  kept,  I  was 
home  only  four  weeks  in  the  time,  and  my  ab 
sence  has  been  about  five-sixths  of  the  tune  for 
the  whole  year.  My  labors  have  been  too  in 
tense  for  my  health,  and  for  the  last  few  months 
my  system  has  been  sinking;  I  find  it  impossible 
therefore  to  keep  them  forward  in  the  same 
measure.  I  have  been  enabled  to  bring  the  claims 
of  the  Board  before  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
churches,  located  long  distances  from  each  other 
— have  preached  about  two  hundred  discourses 
—  have  labored  in  six  blessed  revivals  —  have 


MEMOIR.  97 

attended  ten  communion  seasons  and  eleven  meet 
ings  of  church  judica tones — have  traveled  seven 
thousand  five  hundred  miles,  and  secured  to  the 
Board  in  the  time,  over  eight  thousand  dollars. 

Thanks  to  God  for  the  good  done,  and  may  he 
enable  us  to  do  much  more  in  every  year  to  come. 

Sincerely,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOVEL. 

On  one  of  the  covers  of  the  Report  of  the 
Board  of  Missions  for  1842,  found  among  Dr. 
Scovel's  papers,  is  pasted  an  engraving  nearly  as 
large  as  the  side  of  the  page,  representing  Boaz 
and  Ruth.  The  latter  is  exhibiting  to  Boaz  a 
bunch  of  gleanings  which  she  had  gleaned  after 
his  reapers;  and  underneath  are  the  words  "Thus 
said  Boaz  to  Ruth,  Go  not  to  glean  in  another 
field."  We  notice  this  circumstance  because  it 
illustrates  Dr.  Scovel's  devotedness  to  that  par 
ticular  department  of  labor  in  which  he  was  en 
gaged.  The  cause  of  Domestic  Missions  was 
with  him  the  "cause?  which,  above  all  others, 
engrossed  his  thoughts,  and  enlisted  his  warmest 
interest  He  was  not  indeed  so  exclusive  as  to 
neglect  or  depreciate  other  objects.  He  rejoiced 
in  the  success  of  all  the  Boards  of  the  Church, 
and  of  all  other  benevolent  enterprises  by  whom- 
9 


98  MEM  OIK. 

soever  conducted,  provided  they  were  managed 
wisely  and  scrip  turally;  and  he  contributed  of  his 
substance  in  order  to  encourage  and  promote 
them.  Still,  it  was  quite  apparent  that  he  gave 
a  decided  preference  to  the  cause  of  Domestic 
Missions,  and  that  he  felt  a  stronger  interest  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  than  in  any  other 
field.  This,  doubtless,  arose  chiefly  from  his  vo 
cation.  Whatever  he  undertook  to  do,  he  en 
gaged  in  with  all  his  might.  Some  have  object 
ed  to  our  employing  agents  on  this  very  ground. 
Each  agent,  it  is  alleged,  magnifies  his  own  par 
ticular  work,  to  the  injury  of  other  departments 
of  no  less  importance  than  theirs.  There  would 
be  force  in  this  objection,  provided  our  churches 
were  so  crippled  by  the  pressure  of  one  cause  as 
to  be  unable  to  give  to  others.  But  the  truth  is, 
that  with  the  strongest  representations  which  can 
be  made  by  each,  those  who  give  are  not  rendered 
poor,  and  the  amount  contributed  falls  far  short 
of  meeting  the  wants  of  either  department,  much 
less  the  necessities  of  a  perishing  world.  Though 
every  agent  should  say  as  he  passes  along,  "Go 
not  to  glean  in  another  field,"  and  should  so  in 
terest  those  whom  he  might  address,  as  to  call 
forth  as  large  donations  to  each  particular  object 
as  is  now  contributed  to  all,  this  direction  of  Boaz 


MEMOIR.  99 

would  then  be  verified  in  a  different  sense  from 
that  for  which  we  have  used  it,  and  more  in  ac 
cordance  with  its  original  import,  viz :  that  they 
need  go  nowhere  else  for  their  reward,  besides 
that  which  flows  from  contributing  to  each  and  to 
all  according  to  the  extent  of  their  ability.  The 
field  of  Boaz  will  furnish  abundant  gleanings  for 
the  supply  of  their  necessities  and  the  promotion 
of  their  comfort. 

His  next  report,  (which  was  the  seventh,)  ex 
hibits  more  than  double  the  number  of  mission 
aries  that  were  reported  in  the  first,  and  another 
interesting  fact  reported  is,  that  pastors  and  sta 
ted  supplies  had  performed  a  large  amount  of 
missionary  service,  in  which  the  Lord  had  blessed 
them  in  an  unusual  degree,  making  them  the  in 
struments  of  converting  not  less  than  eight  hun 
dred  souls. 

Louisville,  May  9$,  1843. 

Mr  DEAR  BROTHER — This  is  the  seventh  An 
nual  Report  which  I  have  been  permitted  to  ren 
der  from  this  field.  Though  J  have  been  com 
paratively  lost  amidst  the  immense  wastes  I 
would  aid  the  Board  to  supply,  yet  is  it  cheering 
to  look  back,  and  see  what  has  been  accomplished. 
At  my  commencement,  very  few  of  the  churches 
in  this  field  were  in  the  habit  of  regular  contribu- 


100  MEMOIR. 

tions  to  our  Board.  Now,  that  habit  is  general 
and  regular.  Then,  in  what  was  done,  there  was 
no  system.  Now,  the  whole  bounds  of  each  Synod 
expect  to  hear  of  Domestic  Missions  at  a  settled 
time  in  each  year.  Then,  there  was  little  spirit, 
and  less  co-operation  here  in  this  great  work. 
Now,  there  is  much  of  both.  Then,  with  an 
abundant  currency,  collections  were  difficult. 
Now,  in  an  unparalleled  depression  of  finances, 
these  collections  nearly  reach  their  usual  amount. 
Then,  we  had  fifty  laborers  on  this  field.  Now, 
one  hundred  and  ten. 

This  increase  of  missionaries  cannot  be  appre 
ciated  without  taking  into  account  the  large 
number  of  charges  that  every  year  become  self- 
supporting,  and  so  have  disappeared  from  our 
lists.  But,  though  they  need  no  further  aid,  it 
should  not  be  forgotten,  they  constitute  a  large 
part  of  the  strength  by  which  to  aid  those  who 
are  still  feeble  and  dependent.  They  remember 
their  helpless  days,  and  show  their  gratitude  to 
God  and  the  Board  by  liberally  aiding  your  noble 
enterprise. 

The  financial  distress  of  the  West  has  advanced 
upon  us  this  year  with  rapid  pace,  until,  in  the 
business  community,  every  face  gathered  black 
ness,  and  hope  gave  way  to  despair.  This  state 


Ml- MO  IB, 


-IQl 


of  things,  I  need  scarcely  say.  added  givatly  to 
the  embarrassments  and  >a< -rilices  of  your  agent 
It  is  not  easy  to  warm  a  man's  benevolence  into 
action  when  he  is  under  protest,  and  every  mail 
bringing  him  accounts  of  additional  losses.  And 
yet  against  such  discouragements  have  the  la 
bors  of  the  last  year  been  pushed  forward,  often 
with  a  heart  sickened  with  the  distresses  of  those 
to  whom  sympathy  was  extended,  instead  of  any 
ex  I  KM  -tati'Mi  of  aid  from  them. 

Just  here,  however,  sprang  up  a  rich  encour 
agement.  "  Out  of  their  deep  poverty,  some  have 
ahutindcd  in  their  liberality."  Some  churches, 
as  well  as  individuals,  have  advanced  tin's  year 
beyond  all  their  former  benefactions  to  your 
cause.  It  cost  them  sacrifice.  But  when  the 
question  was  made,  Shall  the  cause  sink  or  be 
sustained  at  sacrifice?  they  nobly  faced  the  test, 
and  would  "not  serve  the  Lord  with  what  cost 
them  nothing." 

Another  great  encouragement  has  been,  the 
ri>ing  spirit  of  pastoral  missions.  No  one  who 
has  attentively  surveyed  the  unnumbered  desti 
tutions  of  this  country,  and  then  though «  of  our 
utter  lack  of  men  to  supply  them,  has  failed  to  be 
oppressed  with  the  view.  The  prospect  ahead  is 
not  less  oppressive.  At  present  rates,  we  never 


102 

shall  have  men  adequate  to  a  full  supply.  After 
all  the  Board  can  do,  employing  men  willing  and 
able  to  go,  not  more  than  half  will  be  reached. 
To  leave  half  these  wastes,  then,  to  hopeless 
heathenism  and  ruin,  or  extend  to  them  mission 
ary  service  of  pastors,  has  been  a  question  of 
thrilling  interest,  and  has  awakened  an  energy 
needing  but  to  be  employed  to  its  uttermost,  in 
order  to  bring  joy  and  salvation  to  those  that  sit 
in  darkness.  This  energy  has  been  employed  the 
last  year  by  pastors  and  stated  supplies,  under 
the  divine  blessing,  to  the  conversion  of  proba 
bly  not  less  than  eight  hundred  souls  on  this 
field;  while  the  prompt  adoption  of  this  plan  by 
all  the  Presbyteries,  would  doubtless  realize  much 
larger  results  by  another  year. 

A  manifestly  deeper  sentiment  in  favor  of 
your  enterprise  comes  every  year  to  pervade  our 
communion.  It  is  expressed  by  our  State  and 
National  Legislatures,  and  other  intelligent  indi 
viduals,  and  we  hope  soon  to  see  it  not  only  uni 
versal  in  this  body,  but  operative  in  throwing  a 
broad  and  blessed  light  over  all  the  darkness  of 
our  horizon. 

Rev.  C.  Sturdevant  has  labored  three  months 
of  the  year,  as  a  coadjutor  in  Tennessee  and  Al 
abama,  and  has  carried  forward  the  work  with 
energy  and  success. 


MEMOIR.  103 

In  the  year  now  closed,  I  have  aided  in  loca 
ting  thirty  missionaries — have  been  absent  from 
home  about  five-sixths  of  my  time — have  been 
enabled  to  bring  the  claims  of  the  Board  before 
one  hundred  and  eighty  churches — have  preached 
about  two  hundred  discourses — have  labored  in 
several  cheering  revivals — have  attended  nine 
communion  seasons  and  eleven  meetings  of  church 
judicatories — have  traveled  seven  thousand  six 
hundred  miles,  and  secured  to  the  Board  in  the 
time  over  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 

But  after  all  that  has  been  done,  our  wastes 
are  wider,  more  desolate,  and  nearer  to  be  de 
voured  by  soul-destroying  error,  than  ever  be 
fore.  What  is  done  to  save  them,  must  be  done 
quickly. 

May  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  raise  up  and 
thrust  forth  the  laborers;  and  his  people,  to  this 
end,  increase  a  hundred  fold  their  prayers  and 
efforts. 

Most  truly,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOVEL. 

The  report  for  1844  shows  a  constant  increase 
of  missionary  spirit  in  the  western  churches  — 
"the  income  for  this  year  being  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  in  advance  of  any  previous  year."  It 


104  MEMO  IB. 

mentions  also  as  "  an  encouragement  not  to  be 
forgotten,  the  deep  interest  taken  in  this  work 
by  the  ladies,  in  preparing  and  forwarding  nu 
merous  boxes  of  clothing  in  aid  of  Western  Mis 
sions."  This  work  has  been  continued  ever 
since,  and  has  carried  timely  and  substantial  re 
lief  to  many  a  needy  and  worthy  family,  who, 
but  for  the  beneficence  of  these  excellent  sisters 
and  mothers  in  Israel,  would  have  suffered  no 
little  inconvenience,  and  in  some  cases,  absolute 
distress.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  none  of  them 
will  become  weary  in  "well-doing."  The  follow 
ing  is  his  report  for  that  year. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER — This  eighth  annual  re 
port  from  this  field  ought  to  express  the  deepest 
gratitude  for  the  advance  of  the  Kingdom  here, 
and  for  the  blessed  instrumentality  of  the  Board 
in  reaching  such  a  result.  The  year  now  closing- 
has  been  distinguished  by  the  formation  of  one 
Synod  and  several  Presbyteries,  composed,  to  a 
large  extent,  of  our  Missionaries,  of  whom  there 
are  near  one  hundred  and  fifty  distributed  in 
thirty-five  Presbyteries,  which  cover  a  territory 
four  times  as  large  as  the  aggregate  surface  of 
England,  Ireland  and  Scotland. 

Towards  the  supply  of  this  immense  field,  we 


MEMOIR.  105 

have  more  mis>i< diaries  than  in  any  previous  year; 
and  yet  "what  are  these  among  so  many?'' 
The  whole  missionary  force  of  the  Board  is  iusuf- 
Ikient  to  cover  the  wastes  of  the  West  alone, 
and  thus  keep  the  dragons  from  devouring  it 
with  soul-destroying  error. 

The  financial  distress  of  the  West  lay  heavy 
upon  us,  for  the  first  three  quarters  of  the  year. 
Then,  collections  to  any  adequate  extent,  were 
impossible.  Vigorous  means  were  plied,  but  with 
much  discouragement,  except  in  cases  of  some 
churches  and  individuals,  who,  even  then,  exhib 
ited  a  noble  liberality. 

In  the  last  quarter,  the  south  wind  blew — 
tilings  grew  soft,  genial  and  kindly;  carrying  the 
income  for  this  year  lull  ill  teen  hundred  dollars 
in  advance  of  any  previous  year. 

An  encouragement  not  to  be  forgotten,  is  the 
deep  interest  taken  in  the  work  by  the  ladies,  in 
preparing  and  forwarding  numerous  boxes  of 
clothing  in  aid  of  Western  Missions.  This  de 
partment  of  effort  is  new,  but  full  of  hope  from 
the  quarter  from  which  it  comes,  and  will  always 
be  ;i  most  efficient  aid  to  the  cause,  where  it  does 
not  materially  diminish  the  money  contributions 
of  the  churches.  Let  these  pious  helpers  know 
that  the  actual  wants  of  husbands,  wives  and 


106  MEMOIR. 

children,  have  been  supplied  by  their  bounty, 
and  the  Master  has  been  clothed  and  comforted^ 
in  the  person  of  his  needy  ministers  and  their 
families.  May  they  be  encouraged  to  do  much 
for  the  coming  year. 

The  plan  for  pastoral  missions  is  a  most  im 
portant  auxiliary  to  your  noble  enterprise;  but 
for  want  of  a  thorough  out-carrying  of  the  plan 
by  all  the  Presbyteries,  the  results  reached, 
though  highly  gratifying,  are  not  equal  to  those 
of  the  last  year. 

In  the  year  now  closed,  I  have  aided  in  loca 
ting  thirty-five  missionaries;  have  been  absent 
from  home  four-fifths  of  my  time;  have  been  en 
abled  to  bring  the  claims  of  the  Board  before  two 
hundred  and  ten  churches,  widely  sundered  from 
each  other;  have  preached  about  two  hundred 
discourses;  have  labored  in  several  joyous  revi 
vals;  have  attended  fourteen  communion  sea 
sons,  and  twelve  meetings  of  church  judicatories ; 
have  traveled  seven  thousand  eight  hundred 
miles,  and  secured  to  the  Board  in  the  time  over 
nine  thousand  dollars. 

In  looking  out  upon  the  prospect  of  another 
year,  the  heart  of  benevolence  sinks  at  a  view  of 
the  disproportion  between  the  demand  and  the 
probable  supply  of  this  field.  Fifty  additional 


-MEMOIR.  107 

laborers  would  scarcely  occupy  the  more  promi 
nent  openings,  and  yet  we  cannot  obtain  that 
number.  Ten  thousand  dollars  additional  means 
are  urgently  needed,  and  would  carry  light  and 
gladness  to  many  a  dark  mind,  but  we  cannot 
even  obtain  the  funds  to  meet  promptly  the 
wants  of  those  already  in  the  field.  Shall  it  al 
ways  be  thus  in  a  church,  the  nett  income  of 
whose  members  is  more  than  five  millions  of  dol 
lars  per  annum?  Shall  the  millions  of  children 
in  this  land  that  cannot  read,  still  grope  their 
way  to  judgment  in  the  same  darkness  in  which 
they  are  now  enveloped?  Will  no  kind  hand  be 
outstretched  for  their  rescue?  Will  the  saints 
pursue  their  gold,  and  leave  them  to  perish  V 
Shall  our  enemies  mark  and  designate  our  land 
as  their  future  possession,  by  the  red  lines  with 
which  they  encircle  the  map  of  the  West,  and  not 
awaken  in  us  a  struggle  to  hold  this  land  sacred 
to  liberty  and  religion? 

Shall  the  oppressed  poor  of  Ireland  give  more 
in  "Peter's  pence"  every  year,  than  the  whole 
Presbyterian  Church  for  the  salvation  of  our 
country?  The  annual  income  of  the  Catholic 
Society  at  Lyons  is  near  four  millions  of  francs, 
having  increased  two  hundred  fold  in  the  last 
twenty  years,  and  this  to  aid  in  extending  over 


108  MEMOIR. 

this  country  the  influence  of  a  despot.  Shall  the 
income  of  your  Board  remain  stationary  in  such 
circumstances?  Shall  we  fold  our  hands  when 
the  enemy  comes  in  like  a  flood?  Let  every 
Christian  meditate  on  these  facts  until  his  pur 
pose  is  fixed,  and  his  heart  enlarged  towards  the 
work  of  saving  his  country  by  means  of  that  glo 
rious  gospel  committed  to  his  trust. 
Most  truly,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOVEL. 

In  his  next  report  he  alludes  again  to  the  sub 
ject  of  clothing  for  missionaries,  a  depot  for  which 
had  been  established  at  New  Albany,  la.  "Had 
the  ladies,"  says  he,  "who  contributed  this  cloth 
ing,  seen  the  supply  of  naked  wants  as  I  have 
seen,  it  would  fill  their  hearts  and  eyes  with  joy, 
that  they  had  thus  been  permitted  to  clothe  and 
comfort  the  Saviour  in  the  persons  of  these  his 
beloved  and  needy  servants."  But  we  will  let 
the  report  speak  for  itself. 

Louisville,  May  Sth,  1845. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER — This  ninth  annual  report 

which  I  have  been  permitted  to  render  from  this 

field,  ought  to  be  instead  of  an  Ebenezer,  on 

which  to  inscribe  the  memorials  of  divine  good- 


MEMOIR.  109 

ness  to  the  agent,  and  especially  to  the  cause  he 
advocates.  In  addition  to  five  hundred  thousand 
square  miles,  the  former  dimensions  of  this  field, 
we  ought  now  to  take  in  Texas  and  Oregon,  to 
the  latter  of  which  the  first  Presbyterian  preacher 
has  already  gone. 

Over  this  immense  surface,  more  excellent  la 
borers  have  been  distributed  this  year  than  in 
any  previous  one,  and  in  this  we  rejoice;  still  a 
multitude  of  cries  for  help  could  not  be  responded 
to  for  want  of  men;  for  the  same  reason,  many 
portions  of  this  great  surface  have  been  stolen 
from  us  this  very  year  by  soul-destroying  error- 
ists,  by  whose  efforts  society  is  poisoned  at  its 
very  fountains,  and  whose  pestilential  breath 
reaches  the  unpractised  ears  and  unhackneyed 
hearts  of  the  children  and  youth.  Under  this 
blighting  influence,  the  laurels  of  our  country 
arc  fading,  and  the  church  looks  out  upon  "fields 
white  for  the  harvest,"  daily  transformed  into 
mildew  and  death. 

In  the  first  half  of  the  year  now  closed,  the 
political  excitement,  which,  like  a  tornado,  swept 
over  the  land,  rendered  appropriate  collections 
not  only  difficult,  but  impossible.  In  the  last 
half,  the  churches  have  responded  to  the  calls  of 
the  Board  with  a  noble  liberality,  and  shown,  both 


110  MEMOIR. 

in  word  and  deed,  their  vast  increase  of  interest 
in  Western  missions :  accordingly,  the  Treasurer's 
Report  will  show  an  advance  beyond  the  receipts 
of  any  former  year. 

The  Rev.  J.  C.  Eastman  has  performed  a  most 
acceptable  service  for  nearly  four  months  of  the 
year,  as  an  assistant  on  this  field. 

The  plan  for  pastoral  missions  has  accomplished 
much  for  the  Master,  but  needs  more  perfect  sys 
tem  in  each  Presbytery,  to  reach  its  greatest  re 
sults.  Such  a  system,  animated  by  the  Divine 
Spirit,  would  achieve  wonders  towards  a  world's 
conversion. 

A  permanent  depot  has  been  opened  next  door 
to  my  dwelling  in  New  Albany,  for  the  reception 
and  disbursement  of  missionary  clothing.  From 
that  place,  we  have  sent  out  this  year  about  twice 
the  amount  of  last  year,  and  that  for  supply  of 
pressing  wants  of  missionary  families  on  the  fron 
tiers.  Had  the  ladies  who  contributed  this  cloth 
ing  seen  the  supply  of  these  naked  wants  as  I 
have  seen,  it  would  fill  their  hearts  and  eyes  with 
joy,  that  they  had  thus  been  permitted  to  clothe 
and  comfort  the  Saviour  in  the  person  of  these 
his  beloved,  but  needy  servants.  What  congre 
gation  will  not  send  us  a  box  during  the  coming 
year? 


MEMOIR.  Ill 

In  the  past  year,  I  have  aided  in  locating  thir 
ty-eight  missionaries;  have  been  absent  from 
home  over  three-fourths  of  my  time;  have  been 
enabled  to  bring  the  claims  of  the  Board  before 
two  hundred  and  twenty  churches,  widely  scatter 
ed  over  the  West;  have  preached  about  two  hun 
dred  discourses ;  have  aided  in  securing  parsona 
ges  to  feeble  charges;  have  attended  sixteen  com 
munion  seasons,  and  thirteen  meetings  of  church 
judica tones;  have  traveled  over  eight  thousand 
miles,  and  have  secured  to  the  Board  in  the  time 
neaj  ten  thousand  dollars. 

In  conclusion,  I  am  compelled  to  say  that  dan 
gers  are  thickening  around  our  western  land. 
Not  only  is  every  destructive  error  abroad  and 
rampant,  but  Catholicity  comes  in  with  giant 
stride.  Their  means  are  lavished  upon  us  at  the 
rate  of  some  four  hundred  thousand  per  annum, 
while  we  raise  a  pittance  to  support  sound  labors. 
Their  officials  and  others  are  sent  in  upon  us  in 
numerably,  ready  for  any  privation  to  advance 
their  superstition,  while  many  holding  the  saving 
truth  are  shrinking  from  the  West,  for  fear  of  pri 
vation  and  hardship.  They  already  hold  the  bal 
ance  of  power  in  some  of  our  States,  are  pushing 
their  advantage,  possessing  our  wastes,  and  thus 
carrying  out  their  settled  plan  to  gain  the  ascen- 


112  MEMOIR. 

dency  in  the  West,  and  so  unite  their  interests 
in  Canada,  with  those  in  South  America  and 
Mexico.  To  ward  off  these  dangers,  what  shall 
be  done?  We  want  hosts  of  men  "full  of  faith 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,"  with  the  boldness  of  Lu 
ther,  the  mildness  of  John,  and  the  self-denial  of 
Schwartz,  to  occupy  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land.  God  give  us  such  men,  and  then  with 
his  blessing  we  are  safe. 
Most  truly,  your  brother, 

SYLVESTER  SCOYEL. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
1845,  an  Executive  Committee  was  appointed  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  to  conduct  the  operations 
of  the  Board  in  the  West.  After  this,  Dr.  Sco- 
vel's  reports  do  not  appear  in  the  annual  reports 
of  the  Board.  The  reports  from  this  field  were 
made  by  the  Committee.  He  continued  his  agen 
cy  under  their  direction,  and  with  the  same  suc 
cess  as  before,  till  Nov.  1846;  when,  having  been 
previously  invited  to  the  Presidency  of  Hanover 
College,  he  resigned  his  agency,  and  entered  on 
a  new  sphere  of  labor. 

In  closing  this  part  of  his  life,  justice  requires 
us  to  say,  that  besides  the  fervent  zeal  and  untir 
ing  energy  which  he  manifested  from  first  to  last 


.MEMOIR.  113 

in  the  prosecution  of  his  important  work,  he  de 
voted  to  it  not  only  time  and  labor,  but  money; 
generously  remitting  three  hundred  dollars  of  the 
salarv  allowed  him  by  the  Board.  In  more  in 
stances,  doubtless,  than  will  be  known  till  the 
judgment  day,  and  in  some  which  are  known,  he 
relieved  the  families  of  needy  missionaries  from 
his  own  private  resources,  and  he  contributed  di 
rectly  and  largely  to  the  funds  of  the  Board  and 
other  benevolent  objects.  By  a  reference  to  the 
reports  of  the  Board  fur  1840  and  1847,it  will  be 
seen  that  himself,  and  wife,  and  nine  children  were 
honorary  members  of  the  Board,  requiring  a  con 
tribution  of  fifty  dollars  for  each;  and  two  other 
friends  and  relatives  of  his  are  also  reported  as 
honorary  members,  in  all  thirteen;  all  of  whom 
were  constituted  such  by  his  liberality.  He  act 
ed  sacredly  on  the  principle  of  preserving  entire 
his  wife's  estate;  but  as  she  and  then*  children 
were  well  provided  for  in  case  of  his  decease,  he 
felt  at  liberty,  after  supporting  his  family,  to  be 
stow  his  entire  income  upon  objects  of  charity. 
A  part  he  gave  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  as  the 
providence  of  God  placed  them  in  his  way;  an 
other  portion  he  bestowed  on  different  public  ob 
jects  connected  with  the  good  of  society,  and  es 
pecially  such  as  were  designed  to  advance  Christ's 
10 


114  MEMOIR. 

kingdom;  and  as  large  a  sum  perhaps  as  he  gave 
to  all  others  put  together,  he  appropriated  to  that 
"cause"  which  lay  nearest  his  heart,  viz:  Domes 
tic  Missions.^  When  remonstrated  with,  that 
he  restricted  his  family  expenses  more  than  he 
ought,  in  order  to  enable  him  to  give,  he  replied, 
"0,  the  cause  of  our  Redeemer,  which  is  suffer 
ing  for  the  want  of  more  sacrifice  and  self-denial 
among  its  professors!  0,  the  selfishness  of  the 
human  heart!  People  are  not  willing  to  give 
when  it  involves  them  in  sacrifice.  It  is  the  cry 
ing  sin  of  the  church.  Those  principles  (said  he) 
which  he  preached  in  the  pulpit,  he  was  resolved 
upon  practising  in  his  family."  According  to 
our  judgment,  his  conduct  in  this  particular  can 
be  easily  vindicated  by  a  reference  to  the  Word 
of  God.  It  met  the  approbation,  as  we  believe, 
of  our  Divine  Redeemer,  and  we  cannot  doubt 
that  when  Christians  are  thoroughly  instructed 
on  this  subject,  and  especially  when  they  are  fully 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  Christ,  it  will  be  ap 
proved  and  commended  by  all  good  men. 

*  NOTE. — He  gave  at  one  time  $100  to  New  Albany  Theological 
•Seminary;  at  another,  $100  to  the  Board  of  Education;  and  again 
$100  to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions;  also* smaller  sums  to  various 
other  objects,  besides  sending  annually  for  seven  years,  $150,  and  some 
times  more,  for  the  support  of  his  aged  mother  —  an  example  of  filial 
piety  worthy  of  imitation.  To  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  he 
gave,  during  the  last  four  years  of  his  agency,  $300  per  annum  to  sup 
port  a  missionary. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

HIS    PRESIDENCY   OF   HANOVER    COLLEGE. 

In  the  fall  of  1846,  Dr.  Scovel  was  elected 
President  of  Hanover  college,  in  the  state  of  In 
diana  ;  he  having,  a  short  time  previous,  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
the  same  institution.  In  extending  to  him  this 
invitation,  the  trustees,  as  we  have  reason  to  be 
lieve,  were  influenced  by  several  considerations. 
First  of  all  he  was  regarded  by  them  as  qualified 
for  the  post,  in  a  literary  point  of  view — though 
he  had  devoted  but  little  time  to  study  for  ten 
years  previous.  His  early  scholarship  was  known 
to  have  been  good;  he  had  acquired  a  large 
amount  of  general  information  by  traveling  and 
the  perusal  of  books  and  periodicals;  and  he  was 
fond  of  scientific  and  literary  pursuits.  His  very 
sensible  inaugural  address,  which  was  delivered 
on  the  following  March,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  discharged  his  official  duties  during  the  short 
period  which  he  was  permitted  to  live,  show  that 
he  was  competent  for  this  responsible  trust. 


110  MEMOIR. 

INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

THE  WEST  AND  WESTERN  INSTITUTIONS. 

To  restore  our  race  to  their  original  moral 
rights,  is  the  great  object  of  revelation,  law,  and 
education.  Revelation  finds  man  in  the  distance 
from  his  Creator;  redemption  proposes  to  bring 
him  near ;  divine  laws  are  so  many  safe-guards 
of  his  moral  interests,  and  so  many  guides  to 
lead  him  in  the  right  way;  while  education  de- 
velopes  his  powers  and  tends  to  place  him  erect 
in  all  his  relations,  both  human  and  divine.  It 
is  education  which  comes  within  the  range  of  hu 
man  possibilities,  and  it  is  this,  by  which  the 
barbarian  rises  by  slow  degrees  to  the  rank  of 
civilization.  "When  we  contrast  the  ignorance, 
rudeness,  and  helplessness  of  the  savage,  with 
the  knowledge,  refinement,  and  resources  of  civ 
ilized  man,  the  difference  between  them  appears 
so  wide,  that  they  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  of 
the  same  species.  Yet  compare  the  infant  of 
the  savage  with  that  of  the  philosopher  and  you 
will  find  them  in  all  respects  the  same.  The 
same  high  capacious  powers  of  mind  lie  folded 
up  in  both ;  and  in  both,  the  organs  of  sensation 
adapted  to  these  powers  are  exactly  similar.  All 


MEMOIR.  117 

the  difference,  which  is  afterwards  to  distinguish 
them,  depends  upon  their  education.  While  the 
mind  of  the  savage,  left  entirely  neglected,  will 
scarcely  raise  him  above  the  level  of  the  animals 
around  him,  insensible  to  all  the  wonders  of  cre 
ation,  and  shut  out  from  all  the  treasures  of  na 
ture,  the  more  fortunate  member  of  enlightened 
society,  whose  capacities  shall  be  evolved  by  a 
proper  education,  will  comprehend  within  the 
ample  range  of  his  intelligence  the  universe  of 
God. 

The  untutored  barbarian,  like  the  beasts  which 
he  hunts  for  subsistence,  or  from  which  he  dreads 
destruction,  acts  merely  under  the  guidance  of 
instinct,  or  from  the  impulse  of  appetite,  passion, 
or  feeling.  A  stranger  to  control,  he  acknowl 
edges  no  law  but  his  own  will.  Not  disciplined 
to  subordination,  or  trained  to  reflect  on  the  rela 
tions  of  society,  and  the  duties  which  arise  out 
of  these  relations,  he  submits  to  no  superior,  but 
the  leader  whom  he  chooses  to  conduct  him  to 
the  gratification  of  his  private  or  national  ani 
mosities;  and  his  wildest  desires  are  indulged 
without  the  slightest  regard  to  any  future  conse 
quence,  or  to  any  feelings  or  interests  but  his 
own.  His  enjoyments,  therefore,  are  entirely 
selfish,  and  spring  from  the  gratification  of  the 


118  MEMOIR. 

most  ferocious  passions  or  the  most  groveling 
appetites.  His  devotion  is  a  feeling  of  terror; 
and  the  whole  system  of  his  superstition  is  a 
'abric  reared  by  his  vices,  which  it  serves  to  for 
tify  and  confirm.  He  may  hope  for  immortality; 
but  the  scenes  which  he  pictures  to  himself  be 
yond  the  limits  of  time,  derive  all  then*  coloring 
from  his  own  dark  imagination ;  and  the  expecta 
tion  of  a  heaven  of  insulting  triumph  over  van 
quished  foes,  only  inflames  to  greater  violence 
the  malignant  passions  which  rankle  in  his  breast. 

Can  a  nature  thus  selfish,  thus  fiend-like,  be 
transformed  by  any  culture  into  the  likeness  of 
man  as  we  contemplate  him  in  the  more  enlight 
ened  and  happy  regions  of  the  world?  Are  the 
benevolent  schemes  which  embrace  in  their  object 
the  happiness  of  millions,  conceived  by  minds 
akin  to  those,  whose  ingenuity  was  never  exer 
cised  but  in  places  of  murder  and  devastation? 

Yes!  these  natures  opposite  as  they  appear, 
are  formed  originally  after  the  same  image.  It 
is  to  education  alone,  which,  raising  him  above 
the  degrading  dominion  of  sense,  teaches  him  to 
respect  the  voice  of  reason,  and  to  follow  her  as 
the  guide  of  his  conduct.  It  is  education  which 
reminds  him  of  the  necessity  of  subordination 
in  regular  communities;  and  which,  convincing 


MEMOIR.  119 

him  how  much  the  happiness  of  the  individual  is 
promoted  and  secured  by  submission  to  govern 
ment  and  laws,  expands  even  his  selfish  feelings 
into  kindness  and  patriotism.  It  is  education, 
which,  leading  him  to  reflect  on  the  ties  t hat- 
unite  him  with  friends,  with  kindred,  and  with 
the  great  family  of  mankind,  makes  his  bosom 
glow  with  social  tenderness,  confirms  the  emo 
tions  of  sympathy  into  habitual  benevolence,  im 
parts  to  him  the  noble  delight  of  rejoicing  with 
those  who  rejoice,  and  the  melancholy  pleasure 
of  weeping  with  those  that  weep;  in  a  word, 
which  renders  his  self  love  only  a  modification 
of  generosity,  and  enables  him  to  gather  his  pu 
rest  bliss,  from  seeing  others  blest. 

If  this  is  the  natural  effect  of  educating  even 
the  mind  shrouded  in  the  greatest  darkness, 
what  are  the  institutions  needed  for  this  noble 
work  in  the  age  and  country  in  which  we  dwell? 
There  are  three  stages  of  society  passed  in  the 
settlement  of  a  new  country :  the  first,  in  which 
the  highest  effort  of  political  economy  is  to  sup 
ply  the  commonest  necessities  of  the  pioneer  fam 
ilies:  the  second,  in  which  the  system  of  inter 
nal  exchange  commences,  and  the  substantial 
conveniences  of  life  are  reached:  the  third,  in 
which  our  cities  and  villages  are  reared;  the 


120  MEMOIR. 

farmer  leaves  his  rude  cabin  for  the  stately  dwel 
ling,  and  surrounds  himself  with  the  comforts 
and  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  In  the  first 
and  second .  stages,  every  energy  is  strung  for 
purposes  other  than  mental  advancement;  and 
the  height  of  literary  attainment  is  usually  from 
the  speller  conned  by  the  cabin  fire.  We  are 
just  approaching  the  third  stage,  and  to  it,  only 
portions  of  our  country  have  yet  attained.  The 
childhood  of  the  West  is  passed,  only  so  far  as 
to  reach  the  period  of  vigorous  youth.  Every 
thing  is  yet  to  be  done — principles  are  to  be  set 
tled — plans  digested — connections  formed — bus 
iness  entered  upon — and  the  whole  future  char 
acter  assumed,  while  as  yet  the  great  traits  of  it 
exist  but  in  the  germ.  This  youth  is  however  a 
giant,  tractable  and  generous  under  wise  tuition, 
but  under  ill-training  and  discipline,  capable  of 
raising  worse  storms  in  his  dominions,  than  ever 
issued  from  the  mountain  smitten  by  the  king  of 
storms. 

According  to  M.  Guizot,  there  are  two  great 
essentials  of  civilization;  social  progress,  and  in 
dividual  progress.  Of  the  former,  our  country 
gives  no  doubtful  indications,  in  subdued  forests 
and  prairies,  in  the  buzz  and  rattle  of  our  ma 
chinery,  the  flocks  and  herds,  and  varied  indus- 


MEMOIR.  121 

try  of  our  States,  the  cotton  fields  and  sugar 
plantations  of  the  South,  the  golden  eared  and 
wide  waving  harvest  of  our  own  State,  "the  net 
work  of  rail- ways  threading  our  vallies  and 
climbing  our  mountains,  the  whistle  of  our  steam 
ers  ascending  every  river,  our  mercantile  ship 
ping  converting  our  ports  into  mimic  forests,  and 
penetrating  with  the  products  of  our  industry 
almost  every  harbor  on  the  globe, — all  bear  tes 
timony  to  our  social  progress ;  a  testimony  visi 
ble  to  the  world,  and  too  conspicuous  to  be 
denied." 

Of  the  other  essential  of  civilization,  the  indi 
vidual  progress,  or  the  development  of  the  in 
dividual  man,  we  cannot  speak  so  confidently. 
Something  has  been  done  in  the  present  age  in 
laying  foundations.  Indeed  it  is  an  age  of  foun 
dations,  some  of  which,  placed  by  wise  master 
builders,  are  well  sustaining  the  superstructures 
now  rising  upon  them  in  beauty  and  fair  propor 
tions;  others  no  doubt  will  disappoint  the  fond 
expectations  of  their  proprietors.  But  the  abid 
ing  foundation  must  be  laid,  and  speedily  too, 
for  sustaining  such  appliances  as  will  secure  men 
tal  development,  and  that  to  the  masses  of  the 
9,000,000  population  in  this  broad  valley:  a 
population  made  up  of  the  restless,  the  daring, 
11 


122  MEMOIR. 

and  the  enterprising  of  almost  every  kindred, 
tribe,  tongue,  and  people,  homogeneous  in  noth 
ing,  and  to  be  melted  together  only  by  the  same 
ness  of  the  powerful  means  employed  alike  upon 
all.  Without  this,  you  might  make  every  acre 
a  garden,  every  village  a  Lowell,  and  every  port 
a  mart  of  boundless  commerce,  and  yet  never 
secure  the  happiness  of  society;  that  happiness 
depends  upon  the  harmonious  combination  of  the 
two  great  essentials  of  civilization. 

In  this  state  of  our  country,  the  question  re 
turns,  what  are  the  needful  institutions  for  the 
great  work  before  us?  Manifestly  those  adapted 
to  earlier  and  later  periods  of  life,  and  to  the  ed 
ucation  of  the  whole  man,  physical,  moral,  and 
intellectual.  As  appropriate  means  to  accomplish 
this,  we  enumerate  Common  Schools,  Parochial 
Schools,  Academies,  (male  and  female,)  Colleges, 
and  Professional  Seminaries. 

The  excellence  of  the  Common  School  system 
is  the  hope  of  carrying  its  benefits  to  all  classes 
of  society;  but  the  system  is  too  new  and  feeble 
to  thrust  out  the  warmth  and  the  life  from  the 
center  to  the  extremities,  in  any  of  our  States. 
An  immeasurable  additional  force  would  be  given 
to  that  system,  by  an  able  General  Superintend 
ent,  aided,  if  possible,  by  a  zealous  County  Su- 

II 


MEMOIR.  123 

perintendent,  acting  in  concert  with  him  in  every 
County.     No  work  can  be  weh1  done,  but  by  some 
one  whose  especial  calling  it  is  to  do  it.     This 
truth  is  so  sanctioned  by  the  common  principle 
of  division  of  labor,  as  seen  in  every  orderly 
community,  that  it  needs  no  other  enforcement. 
The  Secretary  of  State,  in  Ohio,  formerly  Pro 
fessor  in  this  institution,  states  in  his  last  report 
to  the  Legislature,  that  "there  are  not  less  than 
40,000  of  then:  citizens,  over  20  years  of  age, 
who  can  neither  read  nor  write,  and  that  there  are 
nearly  150,000  under  that  age,  and  within  the 
limits  of  the  provision  of  the  law,  entirely  illit 
erate."     The  Secretary  weh1  remarks  upon  these 
facts, — "were  there  as  many  thousands  in  the 
midst  of  us,  who,  through  poverty  or  imbecility, 
should  pass  their  lives  without  any  improvement 
in  their  vital  powers;  who  should,  in  the  language 
of  Scripture,  'have  eyes,  but  see  not;  ears,  but 
hear  not;'  then:  senses  all  torpid,  then-  limbs  nerve 
less  and  incapable  of  muscular  movement,  all  but 
lifeless,  and  yet  alive,  what  should  we  think  of 
such  existence,  of  such  being?     And  yet  that 
which  in  debasement  surpasses  even  our  imagin 
ation,  if  done  to  the  body,  is  done  by  individuals 
and  the  community,  and  permitted  to  be  done 
>y  civilized  governments,  by  ourselves,  under  the 


124  MEMOIR. 

full  blaze  of  Christianity,  to  the  immortal  mind, 
to  those  lofty  capacities  which,  in  their  nature 
and  destiny,  as  far  exceed  the  physical  powers  as 
mind  excels  matter — spirit,  clay — heaven,  earth." 
At  the  last  census  in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  a  still 
greater  proportion  was  entirely  illiterate.  These 
facts  and  declarations  are,  at  least,  as  fearfully 
true  of  the  other  and  newer  Western  States. 
There  are  more  than  2,000,000  of  children  with 
out  schools,  in  the  West. 

Do  we  need  Parochial  Schools  ?  They  are,  in 
this  country,  so  nearly  an  untried  experiment,  it 
may  be  well  to  enquire,  what  is  a  Parochial 
School?  It  is  a  school  for  each  parish  or  congre 
gation,  sustained  by  the  congregation,  placed 
under  the  direction  of  the  pastor  and  principal 
members,  who  select  the  teachers,  aid  them  in 
their  work,  especially  in  bringing  a  strong  reli 
gious  influence  to  bear  upon  the  school,  thus 
mingling  the  cup  of  knowledge  with  the  cup  of 
salvation  continually.  But  will  not  these  schools 
clash  with  the  common  school  system?  Not  at 
all.  They  should  be  a  grade  intermediate  be 
tween  the  common  school  and  the  academy,  and 
while  the  former  is  at  every  man's  door,  it  can 
be  enjoyed  until  such  advancement  is  made  as  to 
prepare  the  pupils  for  the  best  profit  at  the  Pa- 


MEMOIR.  125 

roclrial  School.  These  schools  have  not  only 
been  fully  tested  in  Scotland,  but  have  been  in 
large  part  her  salvation.  They  are  a  part  of  that 
complete  system  of  national  education  presented 
to  the  General  Assembly  by  Kuox  and  his  fellow 
laborers  in  15GO,  of  the  working  of  which  system 
it  was  affirmed  more  than  two  hundred  years  af 
ter  its  establishment,  that  it  had  made  them  a  na 
tion  of  philosophers,  heralds  of  liberty  to  all  that 
kingdom,  a  profoundly  religious  people,  and  that 
not  one  of  the  pupils  of  those  schools  had  been 
arraigned  before  the  tribunals  of  the  country 
charged  with  any  crime.  Other  denominations 
in  this  country  have  done  something  in  this  de 
partment,  perhaps  more  than  Presbyterians,  but 
the  last  General  Assembly  warmly  recommended 
the  system  to  all  its  churches,  and  it  is  my  most 
ardent  aspiration  that  every  Synod,  Presbyter}7", 
and  Session  in  our  connection  may  speedily  adopt 
a  system  so  calculated  to  make  every  wilderness 
a  garden  of  God. 

Largely  to  the  same  effect  are  well  conducted 
academies.  To  the  praise  of  this  State  be  it 
said,  it  has  made  provision  for  an  institution  of 
this  kind  at  every  county  seat.  Few  of  these, 
however,  have  as  yet  become  efficient  aids  to  lit 
erature.  We  trust  in  the  rising  spirit  of  intelli- 


126  MEMOIR. 

gence  and  the  fostering  care  of  the  Legislature 
to  re-animate  them,  and  thus  make  them  accom 
plish  their  original  design.  Then,  and  not  till 
then,  will  they  compare  with  the  preparatory  de 
partments  in  our  Colleges,  and  the  High  Schools 
erected  by  individual  enterprise,  and  which  are 
certainly  doing  a  noble  work. 

With  these  brief  hints  respecting  the  three 
classes  of  minor  institutions,  we  now  come  to  the 
fourth,  beyond  which  we  shall  not  detain  you  on 
the  present  occasion.  Do  we  then  need  Colleges? 
First,  do  we  need  Western  Colleges?  Here  is  a 
surface  of  1,200,000  square  miles,  over  which 
must  be  thrown  an  intelligence  so  clear  and 
strong,  as  not  only  to  suffice  for  the  millions  now 
dwelling  on  that  surface,  but  sufficient  for  the 
20,000,000  that  will  occupy  the  same  space  in 
1856;  sufficient  too  for  the  40,000,000  that  will 
be  here  in  1866 — an  intelligence  that  will  reach 
every  cabin,  and  can  be  reflected  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and  to  Mexico. 

Can  you  do  this  without  Western  Colleges? 
We  are  now  carrying  forward  an  experiment,  the 
essentials  of  the  success  of  which  are  religion  and 
intelligence.  This  experiment  of  free  govern 
ment  in  this  country  has  reached  the  struggling 
Greek,  the  Pole,  the  Italian,  and  even  the  serf  of 


MEMOIR.  127 

Russia,  and  waked  the  oppressed  of  all  nations 
to  look  for  a  similar  boon  for  themselves  and 
their  descendants.  The  hopes  of  the  globe  hang 
upon  us,  and  a  voice  from  the  other  side  of  the 
waters  re-echoes,  the  hopes  of  the  globe  hang 
upon  us.  What  an  undying  curse  will  then  be 
upon  us,  if  by  ill-success  in  the  experiment,  we 
dash  these  hopes  forever.  We  are  in  danger  of 
this  very  ill-success.  You  perceive  that  Divine 
Providence  is  rolling  its  millions  of  souls  into  our 
borders,  by  which  the  whole  responsibility  of  this 
experiment  seems  to  be  thrown  upon  our  Western 
shores.  In  19  years,  according  to  the  fact  above 
stated,  these  40,000,000  will  be  dwellers  in  this 
great  valley;  a  population  probably  double  the 
number  that  will  HHMI  inhabit  the  Eastern  slope 
of  the  country,  a  population  therefore  holding  in 
hand  the  most  fearful  destiny  ever  held  by  mor 
tals,  touching  the  liberties  of  our  race.  Let  the 
West  erect  herself  and  look  at  the  charge!  Is 
she  ready  for  it?  Can  she  be  ready  with  so 
small  means,  for  spreading  intelligence  among 
her  present  9,000,000,  and  thus  preparing  them 
to  act  favorably  upon  the  heart  and  mind  of  the 
next  9,000,000,  and  the  next,  and  the  next? 
Colleges  are  confessedly  the  fountains;  from  these 
must  the  Professional  Seminaries  and  the  Proles- 


128  MEMOIR. 

sions  be  supplied ;  from  these  must  emanate  sup 
plies  for  the  Academy,  the  Parochial  School,  and 
the  Common  School.  If  proof  were  wanted,  you 
have  but  to  observe  the  improved  condition  of 
common  schools  within  a  circle  of  fifty  miles 
around  any  well  ordered  College. 

As  the  redemption  of  the  world  draws  near,  it 
has  been  the  fond  hope  of  our  best  men  on  both 
sides  of  the  waters,  that  this  country  would  have 
a  large  share  in  the  world's  evangelization;  that 
we  should  be  permitted  to  carry  the  religion  and 
language  of  this  land  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Favorable  to  this  view  is  our  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  the  thorough  severance  of  Church  and 
State,  our  freedom  from  the  sustenance  of  a  titled 
nobility  on  the  one  hand,  and  an  overwhelming 
pauperism  on  the  other;  with  abounding  wealth 
and  sanctified  intellect,  what  could  we  not  do  in 
leading  the  conquests  of  Immanuel  in  all  lands ! 
If  it  be  asked,  can  all  this  be  done  ?  The  answer 
must  come  from  between  the  Alleghenies  and 
the  Pacific.  But  precisely  within  this  range  is 
our  danger.  The  East  is  settled ;  she  has  wrought 
out  the  problem  of  her  safety  by  the  patient  op 
eration  of  the  most  potent  moral  and  intellectual 
means,  and  will  accordingly  be  prepared  for  her 
part  of  the  high  destiny.  On  the  other  hand, 


MEMOIR.  129 

the  West  is  a  generation  ahead  of  its  educational 
means,  Hooded  with  a  population  ignorant  of  our 
religion  and  government,  and  chosen  as  the  great 
battle  ground  for  the  Beast,  where  his  forces  are 
rallied  for  the  last  struggle  for  empire.  If  there 
be  an  earthly  power  to  meet  these  dangers,  breast 
these  obstacles,  and  yet  make  our  way  to  the 
high  destiny  indicated,  it  is  our  Colleges.  From 
these  must  go  forth  the  leaders  of  the  host,  to 
dissipate  ignorance,  to  conquer  error,  to  subdue 
and  homologate  the  masses  of  society.  We  do 
then  certainly  need  Western  Colleges.  And  if  so, 
they  must  be  sustained;  sustained  by  a  noble  pub 
lic  sentiment,  such  as  will  enable  them  to  lift  the 
standard  of  education,  and  sustained  too  by  the 
people.  They  arc  the  people's  institutions;  they 
meet  the  wants  and  promote  the  interests  of  the 
people,  and  the  people  therefore  should  uphold 
them,  throw  into  their  bosom  the  best  of  their 
sons,  impart  to  them  due  portions  of  their  wealth, 
and  untiringly  cast  around  them  their  cares  and 
their  sympathies. 

But  if  we  must  have  Western  Colleges,  they 
must  be  sustained  by  the  generous  youth  of  our 
country.  Love  of  country  is  almost  universal, 
but  surely  no  country  ever  exercised  this  affec 
tion  for  so  cogent  reasons. 


130  MEMOIR. 

What  would  be  love  elsewhere,  should  be  enthu 
siasm  here.  Your  country  is  not  only  the  home 
of  the  brave  and  the  free,  the  home  of  your  an 
cestors,  but  your  own  peculiar  home.  It  is  a  land 
more  fertile  in  soil,  more  beautiful  in  surface, 
more  genial  in  climate,  a  land  of  more  noble 
lakes,  rivers,  mountains,  valleys,  ravines  and  cas 
cades,  than  the  sun  shines  upon  besides.  It  is  a 
broad  land,  that  will  soon  sway  the  destinies  of 
the  Union.  Give  then  your  mite  of  influence  to 
the  institutions  of  your  own  native  West.  The 
time  is  fully  come,  when  in  any  profession,  it  is  a 
treasure  to  you  to  have  your  birth  and  training 
here.  Seek  not  then  to  expatriate  yourselves 
for  an  education.  Never  reflect  such  dishonor 
upon  the  rising  College  or  Seminary.  Let  not 
another  household  be  built  up  on  the  downfall  of 
your  own.  A  thorough  education  in  the  West 
is  a  better  and  surer  passport  to  success,  in  any 
profession  or  business  here.  This  I  say  deliber 
ately,  after  twenty  years  of  the  most  careful  ob 
servation.  But  if  you  were  even  to  bear  sacrifi 
ces  to  uphold  the  institutions  of  your  own  coun 
try;  a  heathen  could  say 

"  Dulce  ct  decorum  est  pro  Patria  mori." — (Hon.) 

is  not  the  less  included  in  the  greater,  would  you 
hesitate  to  endure  the  less,  while  he  bared  his  bo- 


MEMOIR.  131 

som  to  the  greater  sacrifice?  But  is  there  sacri 
fice  in  a  Western  education  ?  I  believe  our  Col 
leges  teach  the  ancient  languages  sufficiently 
thorough  to  improve  the  memory,  to  impart  a 
mild  discipline  to  the  mind,  to  give  a  copious  use 
of  one's  mother  tongue,  to  polish  style,  and  give 
a  nice  discrimination  in  the  meaning  of  terms. 
Are  these  noble  languages  taught  to  any  better 
purpose  eastward?  Here  are  Mathematics,  to 
the  aching  of  many  a  head,  only  to  enable  it  to 
think  strongly,  and  in  a  straight  line.  Can  the 
exact  sciences  do  any  thing  more  there?  Here 
is  Natural  Philosophy,  teaching  the  action  of  bod 
ies  one  upon  another,  as  wholes,  and  Chemistry, 
that  goes  into  particulars,  and  shows  how  these 
bodies  act  upon  one  another  by  particles,  thus 
covering  the  whole  ground :  have  they  any  big 
ger  book  of  nature  there  ?  The  West  teaches  the 
Astronomy  of  the  whole  heavens :  have  they  any 
wider  heavens  there?  Here  we  unfold  that  men 
tal  philosophy  and  ethics  which  acquaint  a  man 
with  his  powers  and  duties:  can  the  great  "gnothi 
seauton"  be  gathered  better  through  other  chan 
nels  ?  No,  gentlemen,  it  is  the  "limce  labor"  and 
not  the  place,  that  is  to  shape  you  to  greatness. 
But  it  is  said  that  Eastern  institutions  are  near 
two  centuries  older  than  ours,  and  therefore  much 


132  MEMOIR. 

better.  If  their  superior  age  is  a  good  reason 
for  draining  the  West  of  its  youth,  to  be  educa 
ted  in  their  halls,  it  will  ever  be  a  good  reason, 
for  they  will  ever  be  near  two  centuries  older  than 
those  reared  on  our  soil.  If  this  objection  is  valid 
for  one  student  going  East,  it  is  valid  for  all,  and 
the  consequence  will  easily  be  perceived;  either 
we  shall  forever  have  no  Colleges  here,  or  none 
but  dwarfs.  Will  the  clear-sighted  parent,  or  the 
ardent  youth  of  the  West  willingly  contribute  to 
such  a  result?  But  our  institutions  eastward 
have  large  libraries;  yes,  and  by  the  help  of  God 
we  will  have  larger  ones  here  in  a  few  years.  But 
no  Western  College  can  suddenly  grow  to  such 
dimensions.  It  cannot  spring  into  being  like 
Pallas  from  the  head  of  Jupiter.  It  is  a  work 
of  time,  especially  at  the  stage  of  society  which 
we  are  now  passing.  Let  every  generous  youth 
contribute  his  modicum  to  the  general  influence, 
and  the  work  is  done,  and  when  done,  is  a  work 
to  cheer,  and  bless,  and  save  our  country,  forever. 
That  was  a  noble  reply  of  Zeuxis,  when  asked 
why  he  took  such  endless  pains  with  the  last  pen- 
cilings  of  his  picture,  "I  paint  for  eternity."  We 
are  laying  foundations  for  eternity,  and  every  tal 
ented  youth  may  do  that  now  for  his  Alma  Ma 
ter  which  will  make  an  indelible  impression  upon 


MEMOIR.  133 

it,  and  through  it  upon  coming  ages,  and  so 
cause  unborn  millions  to  rise  up  and  call  him 
blessed. 

Finally,  do  we  need  a  Church  College?  A  few 
hints  are  all  we  propose.  If  we  trace  the  learn 
ing  of  any  age,  we  shall  trace  it  in  close  connec 
tion  with  the  religion  of  that  age  and  country. 
"The  priests'  lips  keep  knowledge."  The  last 
glimmerings  of  the  dark  ages  went  forth  from 
the  cloister  and  the  monastery.  In  later  times, 
the  Scotch  Church  is  a  noble  example. 

The  principle  on  which  they  set  out  was,  "that 
we  are  under  the  same  obligation  to  give  a  pious 
education  to  our  children  and  adherents,  that  we 
are  to  afford  them  a  pious  ministry,"  and  that  to 
this  end  the  church  should  select  the  teachers,  try 
their  qualifications,  and  control  them.  If  it  is 
absurd  to  place  ourselves  or  others  under  an  un 
godly  ministry,  not  less  so  is  it  to  place  them 
under  impious  teachers;  for  these  are  next  in  in 
fluence  to  the  ministry.  In  pursuance  of  these 
views,  at  the  head  of  those  Parochial  Schools  in 
Scotland  before  alluded  to,  was  a  University,  dis 
tinguished  to  this  day  for  a  union  of  religion  and 
learning.  There  multitudes  of  the  youth  of  that 
country  were  educated.  The  system  of  church 
education  became  so  unalterably  settled  there, 


134  MEMOIR. 

that  when  some  six  hundred  of  their  pastors,  with 
their  flocks,  were  compelled  for  principle's  sake 
to  leave  the  establishment,  they,  now  the  Free 
Church,  in  a  few  months  after  the  disruption,  en 
dowed  a  College  with  $100,000.  This  they  did, 
when  they  went  out  from  their  former  homes, 
without  a  house  and  without  a  dollar,  having 
churches  and  manses  to  build,  and  all  their  other 
foundations  to  lay  at  the  same  time.  Here  are 
Church  Colleges  tested  for  more  than  two  centu 
ries,  and  after  that  long  experiment,  such  were 
the  sacrifices  with  which  the  Free  Church  is  ready 
to  continue  them.  Comment  on  such  a  fact  is 
unnecessary.  Have  not  Presbyterians  in  this 
country  a  still  greater  need  of  such  an  institu 
tion?  It  is  their  high  vocation  of  God  in  this 
form  to  educate.  A  vocation  to  save  men  is  a 
calling  to  diffuse  intelligence.  The  faith  we  cul 
tivate  requires  light,  and  our  hope  of  extending 
sound  doctrine  is  in  precise  proportion  to  our  la 
bors  in  diffusing  intelligence.  The  cast  of  mind 
most  commonly  met  here  is  bold,  enquiring  and 
incredulous.  To  impress  such  mind,  we  come 
not  with  authority,  nor  with  pomp  and  ceremo 
nies,  but  with  the  simple  power  of  truth.  That 
truth,  from  the  book  of  nature  and  the  book  of 
God,  must,  in  blended  colors,  be  thrown  upon  the 


MEMOIR.  135 

mass  of  mind,  and  especially  upon  those  in  the 
most  plastic  period  of  life. 

But  a  Church  College  is  required  by  the  law  of 
self-preservation.  The  relation  of  the  Church  to 
such  a  College  is  that  of  mutual  support  and  de 
pendence.  The  one  cannot  prosper  without  the 
other.  It  is  probably  wise  that  College  education 
should  be  conducted  denominationally.  But 
whether  wise  or  unwise,  the  question  is  settled 
that  it  is  to  be  so  done  in  the  West.  In  a  line  of 
States,  lying  north-west  of  the  Ohio  River,  and 
of  which  surface  this  point  is  near  the  center, 
there  are  twenty-five  denominational  Colleges,  and 
of  these  one  only  is  under  control  of  the  Pres 
byterian  Church.  In  these  various  institutions 
is  a  body  of  talent  and  means  sufficient  to  bear 
the  palm  in  educating  on  this  surface.  As  to 
ourselves,  this  practical  question  urges  itself  upon 
us — Shall  we  give  our  youth  to  other  influences 
during  their  College  course,  or  keep  them  under 
our  own?  However  well  the  education  might  be 
conducted  under  other  hands,  still,  if  there  be 
any  thing  in  our  "form  of  sound  words"  worth 
preserving  or  extending,  any  thing  that  has  sanc 
tified  the  martyrdom  of  thousands  that  have  died 
for  it,  we  must  open  our  own  halls  and  receive  our 
sons  to  educational  honors,  impressed  with  the 


130  MEMOIR. 

signet  of  eternal  truth.  It  is  only  thus  we  can 
be  preserved  from  defections  to  Papists,  Ritual 
ists,  and  enthusiasts;  only  thus  that  those  who 
"from  their  youth  have  known  the  Holy  Scrip 
tures,"  shall  have  this  knowledge  deepened  into 
fixed  principles;  and  only  thus  by  the  daily  im 
pression  of  Bible  doctrine,  can  you  rear  the  strong 
man  ready  for  the  great  conflict  with  Anti-Christ, 
which  is  fast  approaching.  The  silent  prepara 
tion  for  this  conflict  is  going  on,  on  the  part  of 
the  enemy.  Five  heavily  endowed  Colleges,  and 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  institutions  answering 
similar  purposes,  are  already  planted  by  the  Pa 
pists  in  the  line  of  States  to  which  allusion  was 
made.  These  are  the  flanking  posts  of  the  ene 
my,  and  diligently  docs  he  hold  and  strengthen 
them.  Bye  and  bye  the  tocsin  will  sound,  and 
the  hosts  will  muster  for  the  fatal  struggle,  and 
even  till  then  some  will  scout  the  danger,  and  cry 
peace,  peace;  but  it  will  be  when  their  chains  are 
forged,  and  when  their  clanking  is  heard  on  the 
breeze.  Let  the  Church  awake  then,  and  care  in 
time  for  the  heritage  God  has  given  her. 

To  compass  this  self-preservation,  this  institu 
tion  was  founded.  It  is  a  Church  College,  and 
the  only  one  possessed  by  our  denomination  in 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Missouri,  amidst  a 


MEMOIIl.  137 

population  of  4,000,000.  It  has  been  reared, 
therefore,  we  trust,  to  a  high  destiny,  and  not 
withstanding  the  newness  of  the  country,  and 
past  embarrassments  from  external  causes,  it  will, 
we  doubt  not,  steadily  move  on  to  that  destiny. 
This  we  hope  the  rather,  because  it  was  founded 
in  prayer,  poverty,  and  tears,  to  educate  the  heart 
and  mind  for  both  worlds,  and  if  it  might  be,  to 
rear  many  who  would  spend  and  be  spent  in  break 
ing  the  bread  of  life  to  the  famishing  in  our  wastes 
and  among  the  millions  on  the  other  side  of  the 
world.  To  the  accomplishment  of  these  great  ends, 
with  a  full  view  of  the  responsibilities  involved,  / 
give  myself  this  day.  I  do  it  with  no  hope  of  suc 
cess,  except  for  the  fervent  sympathies,  prayers 
and  co-operation  of  the  church;  the  efficient  ef 
forts  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  especially  the 
co-labors  of  our  brethren  of  the  Faculty  who  have 
already  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 
We  confide  too  in  the  talents,  industiy,  and  good 
conduct  of  those  who  are  students,  to  sustain  the 
honor  of  the  institution,  and  to  give  to  us,  in  their 
usefulness  to  the  community  and  to  the  Kingdom 
of  our  God,  the  reward  of  our  toil.  But  chiefly  to 
God  only  wise,  our  covenant  God,  do  we  commit 
this  institution,  and  our  poor  labors  to  build  it 
up,  rejoicing  that  the  feeble  are  mighty  in  his 
strength."  12 


138  MEMOIR. 

In  addition  to  his  competency,  as  it  respected 
literary  attainments,  he  was  extensively  and  fa 
vorably  known  as  a  Christian  gentlemen,  and 
would  be  able,  by  his  influence,  to  increase  very 
considerably  the  number  of  students.  But  es 
pecially,  he  was  known  to  possess  in  an  unusual 
degree  financial  talents,  which  qualified  him  pre 
eminently  for  the  collection  and  management 
of  the  college  funds.  Such  a  man  was  greatly 
needed,  nay,  was  essential  at  that  particular 
juncture,  to  the  progress  of  the  Institution. 
The  college  had  experienced  many  disasters,  and 
was  just  recovering  from  the  most  serious  of  all, 
viz  :  the  surrender  of  its  charter  by  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  and  the  projected  establishment  of 
a  university  at  Madison.  Those  concerned  in 
this  movement  were  wise  and  conscientious  men, 
and  acted,  without  doubt,  from  a  sincere  desire 
to  advance  the  public  good;  but  the  Synod  of 
Indiana  refused  to  give  it  their  sanction,  and  de 
termined  to  prosecute  the  enterprise  at  Hanover. 
Dr.  Scovel,  with  a  respectable  minority  of  the 
Synod,  voted  to  sustain  the  trustees  in  their  ac 
tion,  and  to  receive  the  Madison  University  un 
der  the  care  of  the  Synod.  But,  being  over 
ruled,  he,  and  all  those  who  had  concurred  with 
him  in  opinion,  cheerfully  acquiesced  in  the 


MEMOIR.  139 

decision  of  the  majority,  and  have  since  assisted 
as  cordially  in  the  support  of  Hanover  College 
as  they  had  done  before. 

The  Rev.  J.  F.  Crowe,  D.  D.,  who  had  acted  for 
some  time  very  successfully  in  raising  funds  for  the 
college,  was  obliged  to  suspend  his  agency  by 
domestic  affliction;  not,  however,  until  ten  thou 
sand  dollars,  or  more,  had  been  secured.  Im 
mediately  after  accepting  the  Presidency  of  the 
college,  Dr.  Scovel  became  its  financial  agent. 
During  the  first  four  or  five  months  he  secured 
as  many  thousand  dollars;  of  which  amount  he 
subscribed  six  hundred  dollars  himself,  in  the 
form  of  scholarships,  which  was  the  plan  adopted 
by  the  trustees  for  completing  the  endowment. 
At  the  time  of  his  inauguration,  which  was  some 
five  months  after  his  election,  it  was  announced 
that  the  permanent  fund  amounted  to  fifteen 
thousand  dollars,  all  of  which  had  been  secured 
within  the  brief  space  of  three  years,  and  about 
one-third  of  it  by  his  own  efforts.  Since  that 
time  the  endowment  has  steadily  increased,  until 
it  has  reached  the  respectable  sum  of  forty 
thousand  dollars.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty 
students  have  been  in  attendance  during  the  past 
year,  some  thirty  or  more  of  whom  have  recently 
experienced,  as  is  hoped,  a  change  of  heart.  Not 


140  MEMOIR. 

far  from  seventy  were  professors  of  religion  be 
fore  ;  making  in  all  at  this  time  more  than  one 
hundred,  or  over  two-thirds  of  the  whole ;  and  of 
these,  one  half  have  in  view  the  gospel  ministry; 
while  others,  without  having  decided  what  pro 
fession  they  will  pursue,  are  seriously  consider 
ing  the  question  of  future  duty. 

Dr.  Scovel  took  special  interest  in  the  spirit 
ual  welfare  of  the  students.  Very  soon  after 
his  removal  to  Hanover  the  College  was  blest 
with  a  revival  of  religion,  in  which  his  own  fam 
ily  shared  largely ;  and  during  most  of  the  time 
from  that  period  till  his  death  there  was  more  or 
less  seriousness  among  the  students.  Within  a 
little  over  two  years  and  a  half,  (which  was  the 
period  of  his  presidency  there,)  there  were  forty 
or  fifty  hopeful  conversions ;  and  at  the  time  of 
his  last  illness,  several  were  anxious  for  their 
souls,  and  several  rejoicing  in  Christ.  To  this 
state  of  things  he  contributed  much —  he  and 
the  other  officers  of  the  college  co-operating 
with  each  other  from  week  to  week,  by  their 
prayers,  in  bible  class  instruction,  and  personal 
conversation  with  the  students,  to  produce  such 
a  result.  Many  of  them,  it  is  believed,  will 
bless  God  through  eternity  for  his  kind  Provi 
dence  in  placing  them  in  that  Institution,  be- 


MEMOIR.  141 

cause  of  his  distinguishing  grace  in  bringing 
them,  while  there,  to  embrace  by  faith  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  estimate  in  which  he  was  held,  both  as 
President  of  the  college  and  in  other  respects, 
is  truly  expressed  by  Rev.  W.  W.  Hill,  the  ex 
cellent  editor  of  the  Presbyterian  Herald,  a  few 
days  after  his  decease: 

"In  his  death,  the  College,  which  was  rapidly 
rising  in  public  favor  under  his  administration, 
has  met  with  a  severe  stroke  ;  and  the  church 
of  which  he  was  a  minister  has  been  deprived  of 
one  of  her  most  untiring  servants.  Though  not, 
in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  term,  what 
the  world  would  regard  as  a  very  learned  or  very- 
great  man,  yet  he  was  great  in  Napoleon  Bona 
parte's  definition  of  greatness  — a  man  that  was 
able  to  do  great  things.  To  the  most  indomita 
ble  energy  of  character,  he  added  an  intense  de 
sire  to  serve  the  church  and  the  age  in  which  he 
lived,  which  found  a  vent  in  many  ways  over 
looked  by  other  minds.  We  have  for  several 
years  past  been  intimately  associated  with  him 
in  various  capacities,  and  we  always  found  him 
busily  engaged  in  executing  or  contriving  some 
scheme  for  the  good  of  the  church  or  the  coun 
try.  To  found  and  build  up  churches,  schools, 


142  MEMOIR. 

seminaries,  and  colleges,  in  this  great  valley  of 
the  West,  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  master- 
passion  of  his  soul.  It  seemed  to  absorb  his 
whole  time  and  attention,  sometimes,  as  his 
friends  thought,  to  the  neglect  of  his  own  per 
sonal  interests.  No  labors  were  too  exhausting, 
no  sacrifices  were  too  great,  to  deter  him  from 
undertaking  any  plan  which  appeared  to  him  to 
be  adapted  to  promote  this  one  great  object. 
For  this  he  lived,  for  this  he  labored,  and  for  it 
he  prayed,  and  now  he  has  gone  to  receive  the 
reward  from  that  Master  who  has  assured  us  thai 
he  is  not  unfaithful  to  forget  our  work  of  pa 
tience  and  labor  of  love.  We  that  remain  may 
hear  a  voice  coming  to  us  from  his  tomb,  saying, 
'  What  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  with  ah1  thy 
might;  for  there  is  no  work  nor  device  in  the 
grave  whither  thou  hasteneth.'  May  we  serve 
our  generation,  according  to  our  abilities,  as 
faithfully  as  he  has  done,  and  when  we  are  gath 
ered  to  our  fathers,  rest  with  him  in  those  man 
sions  which  the  Master  has  gone  before  to  prepare 
for  those  who  serve  him." 


CHAPTER   V. 

HIS   LAST   ILLNESS,  &C. 

Dr.  Scovel  departed  this  life  July  4,  1849, 
after  an  illness  of  thirty-six  hours,  with  that 
fearful  and  unconquerable  disease,  the  Cholera. 
He  had  been  ill  for  several  weeks  previous  of  a 
diilereiit  disease,  but  was  nearly  recovered  from 
it,  when  the  Cholera  broke  out  at  Hanover  with 
such  violence,  that  out  of  a  population  of  four 
hundred,  twenty  fell  victims  to  this  disease, 
among  whom  were  two  students  of  the  College, 
candidates  for  the  gospel  ministry,  and  Dr.  Sco 
vel,  President  of  the  Institution.  When  the 
cholera  made  its  appearance  in  that  place,  in  or 
der  to  quiet  the  minds  of  the  students  he  met 
them  in  the  College  Chapel,  read  the  91st  Psalm, 
delivered  an  address,  and  offered  a  prayer.  This 
wras  followed  by  a  meeting  of  the  faculty,  and  by 
numerous  calls  of  the  students  at  his  residence 
preparatory  to  their  leaving  the  place,  which  fa 
tigued  him  so  much  as  to  compel  him  to  retire 
to  his  bed,  from  which  he  never  arose.  Symp 
toms  of  cholera  were  soon  visible ;  and  though 


144  MEMOIR. 

the  usual  remedies  were  promptly  employed,  his 
physical  nature,  which  was  already  enfeebled  by 
disease,  sunk  under  the  attack,  and  in  the  brief 
period  above  mentioned,  his  spirit  was  released 
from  its  clay  tenement.  He  died  with  that  com 
posure  of  mind  and  that  confidence  in  the  Re 
deemer  which  become  a  Christian. 

Though  he  had  occasionally  complained  for 
some  years  that  he  was  wearing  himself  out  by 
the  multiplicity  of  his  labors,  that  he  was  sink 
ing  under  fatigue,  &c.,  he  had  never  been  afflict 
ed  with  any  serious  or  protracted  illness,  with  a 
single  exception,  after  he  entered  the  ministry, 
till  the  close  of  his  life;  and  when  he  was  taken 
away,  he  died  as  he  desired  to  die — "with  his 
harness  on."  The  sickness  to  which  we  allude 
occurred  while  he  was  residing  either  at  Law- 
renceburg  or  Harrison.  Concerning  this  a  wor 
thy  correspondent,  already  quoted  in  this  vol 
ume,  remarks,  "  I  saw  him  brought,  by  a  severe 
attack  of  illness,  to  the  brink  of  the  grave.  We 
gave  him  up.  His  wife  and  a  few  of  the  female 
friends  were  weeping  around  him,  but  he  was 
calm  and  peaceful.  He  said  to  us,  'dont  weep 
for  me — all  is  well.'  Then  directing  his  remarks 
to  his  wife,  he  said,  'Your  loss  will  be  my  eter 
nal  gain.'  But  his  work  was  not  done.  He 


MEMOIR.  145 

was  restored  to  health  to  labor  awhile  longer  in 
his  Master's  vineyard." 

His  last  illness  was  so  brief,  and  attended  with 
so  much  prostration  of  body,  that  little  opportu 
nity  was  afforded  for  conversation;  but  after  he 
became  sensible  of  his  speedy  departure,  he  ex 
pressed  entire  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
a  firm  faith  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  through  whose 
merits  he  expected  to  be  saved.  He  exhibited 
no  ecs fades;  he  uttered  no  extraordinary  expres 
sions  of  triumphant  hope;  but  he  manifested 
what  is  equally  satisfactory,  that  serenity,  of 
spirit  which  was  the  fruit  of  God's  love  shed 
abroad  in  the  heart  —  that  willingness  to  die 
which  arose  from  the  evidence  that  he  was  about 
to  depart  and  be  with  Christ.  There  was,  in  his 
case,  no  necessity  of  a  death-bed  scene,  either 
on  his  own  account  or  for  the  comfort  of  survi 
vors.  He  was  prepared  to  die  long  before.  He 
so  felt  himself  to  be,  and  he  was  so  regarded  by 
all  his  Christian  friends.  He  often  alluded  to 
death  and  the  grave,  to  heaven  and  its  joys,  in 
his  public  discourses ;  and  in  such  terms,  and 
with  such  a  countenance,  as  to  show  that  he  had, 
habitually,  an  assured,  an  abiding  hope  of  eter 
nal  life.  As  we  have  not  yet  introduced  a  speci 
men  of  his  sermons,  this  will  be  a  suitable  place 
13 


146  .  MEMOIR. 

to  insert  a  portion  of  a  discourse  which  he 
preached  several  times,  on  the  heavenly  state. 
He  did  not  write  many  sermons  in  full,  but  only 
outlines  of  sermons — sometimes  copious,  at  oth 
ers  very  brief.  Those  which  he  wrote  with  care, 
are  very  creditable  productions ;  but  it  does  not 
comport  with  our  purpose  in  preparing  this  me 
moir  to  publish  his  discourses.  The  outline 
which  we  give  may  serve,  however,  as  an  exam 
ple  of  his  manner  of  sermonizing,  though  it  is 
introduced  more  especially  to  illustrate  the  state 
of  his  mind  not  only  during  his  last  hours,  but 
long  before ;  and  to  lead  the  mind  of  the  reader 
to  a  pious  contemplation  of  that  holy  and  happy 
world  into  which,  we  cannot  doubt,  he  entered 
at  death. 

DISCOURSE. 

"  There  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth." —  Rev. 
xxi:  27,  first  clause. 

The  present  state  of  man  is  encumbered  with 
evils,  natural  and  moral.  Being  a  part  of  his 
sad  birthright,  they  grow  with  his  growth,  and 
cleave  to  him  in  every  condition,  and  at  every 
stage  of  life.  In  vain  does  he  attempt  to  thrust 
them  from  him  by  the  power  of  philosophy,  or 
flee  from  them,  either  by  the  pursuit  of  wealth 


MEMOIR.  147 

or  the  retirement  of  the  cloister.  Even  Christi 
anity  itself  only  alleviates,  but  does  not  remove, 
the  ills  of  life,  so  long  as  we  remain  in  the  pres 
ent  world.  Who,  that  has  felt  the  presence  of 
the  evils,  has  not  longed  for  a  better  state? 
Who  has  not  sighed  for  the  habitation  where  the 
"wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are 
at  rest?  "  Direct,  then,  your  thoughts  to  this 
"bright  reversion,"  while  we  consider, 

I.  The  habitation  of  the  blessed. 

II.  What  shall  not  enter  there,  and 

III.  Who  and  what  shall  enter  there. 

I.  Heaven  is  a  habitation.  We  cannot,  nor 
is  it  necessary  to  say  what  precise  position  in 
unlimited  space  may  be  occupied  by  heaven. 
The  Scriptures  represent  it  as  being  above;  but 
the  term  above  is  relative,  that  being  below  to 
the  Chinese  which  to  us  is  above  — showing  that 
it  is  no  certain  circumscribed  location,  but  sim 
ply  an  ethereal  region  altogether  fitted  for  the 
residence  of  spiritual  beings.  It  is,  however,  in 
condescension  to  our  weakness,  called  a  house — 
a  mansion — a  city.  This  last  is  the  term  applied 
to  it  in  the  context,  and,  as  you  have  heard,  all 
the  treasures  of  oriental  imagery  are  exhausted 
in  describing  its  grandeur.  Every  touch  in  this 
description  is  a  master  effort — the  flight  of  a 


148  MEMOIR. 

inind  lifted  up  above  itself  by  the  inspiration  of 
God.  No  wonder,  then,  that  the  annals  of  this 
kind  of  writing  affords  no  parallel.  The  founda 
tions  of  this  heavenly  city  are  garnished  with 
precious  stones.  Its  walls  are  Jasper.  Its 
streets  are  pure  gold.  Its  gates  are  pearls.  Its 
watchmen  are  angels.  The  throne  of  God  and 
the  Lamb  is  in  the  midst  of  it.  Out  of  this 
throne  issues  the  river  of  life,  on  whose  bank 
stands  the  tree  of  life,  yielding  twelve  manner  of 
fruits.  No  temple  is  there.  No  night  overcasts 
its  sky.  No  moon  shines — no  sun  rises.  The 
Lord  God  and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of 
this  Divine  residence — they  are  the  sun  which 
shines  with  the  splendor  of  everlasting  day. 

Whose  imagination  has  not  often  visited  the 
earthly  paradise  given  to  man  in  innocence  ? 
Has  not  its  cloudless  sky,  its  life-breathing  winds, 
its  delicious  fruits,  its  fragrant  flowers,  its  ver 
dant  groves,  its  every  element  ministering  to  the 
bliss  of  man,  often  awakened  your  highest  rap 
ture?  That  name  is  used  to  describe  the  heav 
enly  abode.  Says  the  Saviour,  "He  that  over- 
cometh  shall  have  part  in  the  Paradise  of  God." 
But  how  infinitely  superior  is  that  heavenly  habi 
tation  to  the  earthly  paradise !  The  one,  too, 
was  temporary,  the  other  is  eternal.  Present  to 


MEMOIR.  149 

your  view  all  conceivable  forms  of  beauty ;  gather 
all  that  can  gratify  your  taste  from  every  corner 
of  the  universe ;  augment  it  by  all  that  Omnipo 
tence  can  add  ;  then  assure  yourself  that  it  is 
etermU ;  and  you  will  form  your  best  thought  of 
the  beauty  of  heaven.  It  is,  moreover,  sublime 
as  well  as  beautiful.  Its  dimensions  surpass  all 
that  can  be  conceived  of  in  nature,  whether  it 
be  the  boundless  landscape,  the  shoreless  ocean, 
or  the  cloud-capt  summit.  The  angel  who  meas 
ured  it  in  the  presence  of  John  the  divine,  found 
it  to  contain  12,000  furlongs  ;  and  "the  length, 
and  the  breadth,  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal." 
And  farther,  the  glory  of  the  place  conveys  an 
idea  of  sublimity  which  exceeds  all  human  des 
cription.  The  "glory  of  God  and  the  Lamb  doth 
enlighten  it,"  and  every  inhabitant  from  the  high 
est  order  of  angels  to  the  most  humble  believer, 
redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  enjoys  an  ec 
static  view  of  that  glory,  and,  also,  reflects  a 
portion  of  it  in  his  own  spotless  character  and 
perfect  bliss.  But  the  sublime  of  heaven  befits 
not  an  earthly  pen. 

II.  Consider  what  shall  not  enter  this  holy 
habitation.  First  of  ah1,  sin  shall  not  be  there — 
sin,  that  prolific  cause  whence  proceeds  every  evil; 
sin,  the  abomination  of  God  and  the  grief  of  his 


150  MEMOIR. 

people,  shall  never  be  there,  not  "anything  that 
defile  th."  With  sin  shall  also  be  stricken  out 
the  whole  list  of  its  consequences.  No  guilt,  no 
pollution,  no  shame,  can  enter  there.  Faction 
and  sedition  distract  not  the  armies  of  heaven. 
No  discontent,  no  intrigue,  no  base  compromise 
of  principle,  are  there.  There  is  no  rebellion 
there  to  quell;  no  rod  of  oppression  to  be  broken. 
The  trumpet  will  have  blown  its  final  blast,  the 
last  shout  of  battle  will  have  ceased,  and  "destruc 
tions  have  come  to  a  perpetual  end."  Private, 
separate  interests  can  never  alienate  those  heav 
enly  minds.  Selfishness,  that  bane  of  social  peace 
and  social  confidence,  cannot  exist  in  sight  of 
yonder  throne.  Its  iron  grasp  is  broken,  and  its 
icy  coldness  melted.  No  narrowness  can  con 
tract,  no  coldness  can  chill  those  affections  that 
center  so  warmly  upon  the  Eternal  Source  of 
love. 

By  consequence,  also,  no  natural  evils  can  be 
earned  there.  Pestilence  walketh  not  there  in 
darkness,  nor  does  haggard  famine  stalk  abroad. 
There  earthquakes  swallow  not,  and  the  tornado 
sweeps  not  away  the  holy  tenants  above.  There 
is  no  sea  to  drown  and  no  fire  to  burn  them. 
Death  will  not  there  invade  the  generations  of 
men,  nor  gather  into  its  group  the  congregations 


MEMOIR.  151 

of  disease.  He  will  collect  no  more  the  pallid 
features,  the  crippled  forms — the  fathers  and  the 
children — into  his  dark  receptacles;  nor  can 
he  send  blasting  and  mildew  over  the  prospects 
just  opening  to  the  vision  of  youth.  "  There  is 
no  more  death." 

Evils  will  not  exist  there,  arising  from  the 
temptations  of  satan,  and  the  persecutions  of 
wicked  men.  The  adversary  of  souls,  who  goes 
about  as  a  roaring  lion  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour,  cannot  venture  there.  Of  course,  his 
artful  wiles,  his  cunning  and  deceit,  his  plans  to 
cool  your  zeal  and  turn  your  feet  astray  from  the 
narrow  path,  will  not  disturb  you  in  that  world. 
Though  still  the  prince  of  darkness,  he  will  be 
shorn  of  his  power  to  hurt  God's  people,  and  be 
led  captive  to  his  chains,  by  the  triumphant  Re 
deemer.  In  like  manner,  the  malice  of  wicked 
men  will  have  spent  its  force,  and  can  never  reach 
you  there.  Neither  the  persecutions  they  bring, 
nor  the  pains  they  inflict,  will  be  experienced  on 
those  heavenly  hills. 

Evils,  which  now  exist  within  us  and  often  dis 
turb  our  peace,  will,  also,  be  unknown,  Thither 
remorse  cannot  follow  you,  nor  fear  of  aught  that 
is  evil.  No  hatred,  envy,  lust,  pride,  evil  concu 
piscence,  unhallowed  desire,  covetousness,  avarice. 


152  MEMOIR. 

No  worship  of  the  creature  more  than  the  Crea 
tor;  no  ungrateful  thought,  no  chagrin  of  dis 
appointment,  nor  the  sorrow  of  purposes  unat- 
tained,  and  resolutions  unperformed.  You  will 
doubt  no  more,  you  will  despond  no  more.  No 
brow  of  care,  no  aching  heart,  no  overflowing 
eye,  no  grief,  or  bereavement,  will  ever  be  seen 
or  felt  in  that  blessed  state.  There  will  be  no 
indolence  there  to  paralize  the  energy  or  retard 
the  progress  of  the  immortal  spirit  in  its  upward 
flight  towards  the  adorable  Source  of  all  good. 
Fellow  Christians,  how  transporting  the  thought 
of  possessing,  ere  long,  such  a  dwelling  place  as 
this!  ' 

III.  Consider  who  and  what  shall  enter  this 
holy  habitation. 

With  regard  to  the  persons,  the  redeemed  will 
enter  there.  The  church,  the  betrothed  of  Christ, 
after  a  life  of  faithfulness  on  earth,  will  be  received 
by  him  into  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb, 
and  be  joined  to  him  in  a  glorious  and  everlast 
ing  union.  In  obedience  to  the  call,  "Lift  up 
your  heads,  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up  ye  ever 
lasting  doors,  and  the  king  of  glory  shall  come 
in,"  the  Prince  of  Peace  will  proceed  with  his 
numerous  retinue  to  take  possession  of  the  heav 
enly  temple,  and  they  shall  go  no  more  out 
forever. 


MEMOIR.  153 

As  to  what  shall  enter  there,  it  will  consist  of 
every  element  that  is  essential  to  complete  the 
bliss  of  God's  people. 

1.  Perfection  both  of  body  and  soul.     There 
will  be  no  dullness  of  your  spiritual  apprehen 
sions  ;  nothing  to  obscure  your  immortal  vision- 
Your  reason  will  be  perfect,  your  imagination 
cloudless,  your  understanding  illumined  with  a 
flood  of  light,  your  whole  soul  pure  and  spotless, 
your  body  raised  incorruptible  and  glo 
rious. 

2.  A  fit  employment.     Praise,  study  of  God 
and  his  works. 

3.  A  fulness  of  joy.     "The  redeemed  shall 
come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  up 
on  their  heads,  and  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  glad 
ness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away." 

4.  A  likeness  to  Christ.    "Beloved,  now  are  we 
the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what 
we  shall  be,  but  we  know  that  when  he  shall  ap 
pear,  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as 
he  is."     Then  will  be  fulfilled  that  prayer  of  the 
Saviour,  "The  glory  which  thou  hast  given  me  I 
have  given  them,  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as 
we  are  one."     "I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou 
hast  given  me,  may  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that 
they  may  behold  my  glory  which  thou  hast  given 


154  MEMOIR. 

me."  In  accordance  with  this  prayer  the  re 
deemed  will  behold  his  glory  as  with  open  face, 
and  "be  changed  into  his  image  from  glory  to 
glory." 

Humble  Christian!  a  few  more  seasons  of  pray 
er,  a  few  more  Sabbaths,  and  a  few  more  com 
munions  past,  and  you  shall  commune  with  the 
spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect.  Your  last  pang 
felt,  and  your  last  enemy  conquered,  you  will 
mingle  with  the  heavenly  retinue,  and  sit  with 
them  at  yonder  board  of  eternal  love.  There  all 
is  grandeur  and  beauty  to  the  eye,  harmony  to 
the  ear,  and  rapture  to  the  heart. 

*'  Lift  up  your  heads,  ye  saints,  on  high, 
And  sing,  for  your  redemption's  nigh." 

The  third  head  of  this  discourse  is  only  a  brief 
outline,  which,  in  this  respect,  is  similar  to  a  ma 
jority  of  his  written  sermons.  In  preaching  them 
he  was  accustomed  to  read  as  far  as  he  had  writ 
ten,  and  to  close  with  extemporaneous  remarks. 
One  of  his  hearers,  who  had  heard  him  preach 
the  discourse  here  given,  observed  that  he  closed 
it  with  unusual  interest  and  animation.  May  all 
who  read  it  be  so  happy  as  to  reach  that  blissful 
state. 

After  Dr.  Scovel's  decease,  his  bereaved  widow 


MEMOIR.  155 

received  letters  of  condolence  from  ministers  and 
other  friends;  editors  of  newspapers  and  corres 
pondents,  in  announcing  his  death,  paid  a  re 
spectful  tribute  to  his  memory,  and  two  or  more 
ecclesiastical  bodies  adopted  resolutions  express 
ing  their  high  estimation  of  his  worth.  The  fol 
lowing  is  a  Minute  of  the  Synod  of  Indiana  at 
their  sessions  in  Indianapolis,  Sept,  1849. 

"The  Rev.  Sylvester  Scovel,  D.  D.,  President 
of  Hanover  College,  departed  this  life  at  his  resi 
dence  in  Hanover,  on  the  4th  day  of  July,  A.  D. 
1849,  aged  53  years. 

"He  had  been  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  gos 
pel  ministry  for  about  twenty-five  years,  and  for 
the  last  six  years  of  his  life  had  been  a  member 
of  this  Synod. 

"Our  departed  brother  was  distinguished  for  the 
indomitable  energy  of  his  character,  the  uniform 
and  consistent  piety  of  his  life,  his  love  for  souls, 
his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  church,  and 
his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  Christ.  In  a  word,  what 
soever  things  were  true,  and  honest,  and  just,  and 
pure,  and  lovely,  and  of  good  report,  it  was  his 
aim  to  promote. 

"As  a  man,  he  was  eminently  kind,  amiable  and 
courteous;  as  a  Christian,  he  was  consistent  and 


156  MEMOIR. 

devoted;  as  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
he  was  faithful. 

"He  was  a  successful  pastor,  an  untiring  and  ef 
ficient  agent,  (in  which  capacity  he  labored  ten 
years  under  the  direction  of  the  General  Assem 
bly's  Board  of  Missions,  as  the  general  agent  for 
the  West,)  and  as  the  President  of  Hanover  Col 
lege,  his  labors  were  attended  with  their  wonted 
success.  He  possessed  many  traits  of  character 
worthy  of  imitation,  and  we  feel  that  in  his  death 
this  Synod  has  sustained  an  irreparable  loss,  and 
the  church  of  Christ  has  been  bereft  of  one  of 
its  most  faithful  laborers.  Yet  in  the  dispensa 
tion  that  has  removed  him  from  us,  we  would  re 
cognize  the  hand  of  a  wise  and  holy  Providence, 
and  bow  with  uncomplaining  submission  to  it. 
We  would  bless  the  rod  and  him  that  has  appoint 
ed  it.  We  rejoice  in  the  hope  that  having  served 
God  faithfully  in  his  day,  he  has  now  been  taken 
to  his  reward  in  heaven. 

"This  Synod  would  express  their  gratitude  to 
God  that  his  efficient  labors  were  continued  for  so 
long  a  time  to  the  church,  and  they  would  be  re 
minded  by  his  sudden  departure,  that  the  time  is 
short.  Whatsoever,  therefore,  our  hands  find  to 
do,  we  should  do  it  with  our  might. 

"  This  Synod  would  also  express  their  condo- 


MEMOIR.  157 

lence  with  the  bereaved  family  of  our  departed 
brother,  and  pray  that  God  would  be  a  husband  to 
the  widow  and  a  father  to  the  fatherless  children. 

"It  was  ordered  that  a  copy  of  this  Minute  be 
furnished  by  the  Stated  Clerk  of  Synod,  and  for 
warded  to  the  family  of  our  deceased  and  lament 
ed  brother. 

"A  true  copy,  by  order  of  Synod. — Attest: 
DAVID MONTFQRT, Stated  Clerk" 

Of  the  published  newspaper  articles,  we  insert 
only  a  single  one,  from  the  pen  of  Prof.  A.  C. 
Knox,  of  Hanover,  an  inmate  of  Dr.  Scovel's 
family  at  the  time  of  his  decease. 

REV.  SYLVESTER  SCOVEL,  D.  D. 

A  righteous  man  hath  fallen!     One  whose  life 
Was  all  a  burning  light  —  his  death  an  hour 
Of  peaceful  rest.     But  yesterday,  I  looked 
Upon  that  noble  form  —  unmoved  and  calm 
Amid  the  dashing  waves  of  life  —  and  what 
A  picture  there  I  imaged  —  full  of  hope 
And  coming  usefulness.     'Twas  but  a  dream, 
That  shed  upon  the  leaves  of  coming  time 
The  brightness  of  the  past.     The  image  formed, 
As  quickly  fled  —  the  soul  had  found  in  Heaven 
A  home. 

What  manly  grace,  what  dignity, 
In  every  movement  shone.     Oh,  how  unlike 
The  studied  arts  that  hide  mere  emptiness ; 


158  MEMOIR. 

The  tricks  of  naked  self  to  shield  her  own 

Deformity,  and  win  an  hour's  applause! 

The  tearful  eye,  so  eloquent  in  love 

And  kindness,  spoke  the  tender  and  true 

Of  heart ;  'twas  gushing  tenderness,  that  oft, 

When  sorrow  wept,  would  bleed,  and  pour  the  tear 

Of  sympathy. 

For  moral  worth  beloved, 
In  goodness  great,  in  wisdom  unsurpassed  — 
That  pure  and  heavenly  wisdom  from  above  — 
A  friend  to  man  he  lived ;  a  sacrifice 
To  noblest  deeds  of  love  he  fell,  as  falls 
The  Christian  soldier,  with  his  armor  on, 
All  burnished  for  the  fight.     Just  like  a  star 
Of  night,  behind  the  sleeping  wave  of  some 
Unruffled  lake,  he  calmly  sunk  to  rest  — 
No  cloud  bedimmed  the  sky;  no  lowering  storm 
Hung  o'er  his  setting  sun. 

Awhile  I  stood 

Upon  the  mournful  strand,  and  witnessed  there 
Those  loved  ones  gathered  round;  while  on  the  cheek 
Of  infancy  and  laughing  youth,  I  saw 
The  tear  of  withered  hope.    Aye,  see  that  heart  — 
That  mother's  widowed  bleeding  heart  —  in  all 
The  agony  of  crushed  affection  —  how 
It  pours  itself  in  prayer!     Be  still,  my  soul, 
And  leave  her  there  with  God.     The  bitter  cup 
A  moment  quaffed,  is  filled  with  Him  in  whom 
All  fulness  dwells.     The  maddened  ocean  sleeps, 
For  Mercy  sweetly  whispers  from  the  skies, 
"  Be  still,  ye  troubled  waves."     She  calmly  rose 
And  kissed  a  last  farewell  to  earthly  hope, 
To  seek  in  God  her  joy. 

I  watched  him  there 
Upon  the  cold  and  sullen  wave,  both  long 


MEMOIR.  159 

And  mournfully,  till  Jesus  now  within 

That  bark  I  saw,  in  all  his  loveliness. 

So  cheeringly  he  looked  the  while,  and  shed 

Amid  the  gloom  such  light,  such  smiles  of  hope 

And  joy  upon  the  clouds  that  floated  there 

He  threw,  that  Death's  dark  stream,  and  even  Death 

Itself  seemed  almost  beautiful.     When  lo! 

From  out  the  murky  clouds  a  sudden  blaze 

Of  light,  and  love,  and  glory  burst  —  the  rays 

Of  all  the  suns  of  heaven  blended  there  — 

Too  bright,  too  pure  for  flesh.     'Twas  heaven's  lore ; 

Eternal,  deep,  exhaustless  love,  that  flows 

From  off  the  throne  —  for  God  himself  is  love. 

Can  this  be  death?     From  earth  to  heaven? 

'T  is  thus  the  Christian  dies ;  while  angels  waft 

His  ransomed  spirit  "  where  the  wicked  cease 

From  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest." 


The  following  communication  from  Professor 
M.  Sturgus,  has  been  furnished  by  request,  ex 
pressly  for  this  Memoir. 

Hanover  College,  Feb.  19, 1851. 

DEAR  BROTHER, — I  feel  entirely  inadequate  to 
give  a  proper  estimate  of  Dr.  Scovel's  character 
and  services  here,  for  your  book.  The  following 
hints  are  at  your  service,  and  you  can  condense 
or  extract  at  your  pleasure. 

When  he  joined  us,  upwards  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  had  been  raised  by  Dr.  Crowe  towards  an 
endowment,  and  we  had  about  seventy  students. 


160  MEMOIR. 

But  Dr.  C.  was  providentially  prevented  from  far 
ther  prosecution  of  the  endowment,  and  the  in 
stitution  was  suffering  greatly,  too,  for  want  of  a 
head.  Its  religious  condition  was  very  discoura 
ging;  but  eight  or  ten  professors  of  religion  in 
all,  and  a  very  cold  and  lifeless  state  of  feeling 
pervading  the  church.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
how  changed!  The  number  of  students  had 
doubled,  nearly  half  of  whom  were  church  mem 
bers,  and  the  endowment  fund  had  been  increased 
to  thirty  thousand  dollars,  besides  a  considerable 
fund  for  contingent  expenses,  and  a  library  worth 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  all  in  the  brief  space  of 
two  and  a  half  years.  The  difficulties  to  be  en 
countered  were  innumerable.  The  institution 
had  been  broken  down  by  a  succession  of  disas 
ters,  ending  in  the  surrender  of  its  charter. 
Whilst  a  few  clung  to  it  with  affection,  the  com 
munity  at  large,  from  whom  students  and  money 
were  to  be  drawn,  regarded  it  with  distrust.  To 
remove  prejudices,  diffuse  correct  information,  to 
establish  confidence,  and  accomplish  such  results 
in  so  brief  a  period,  demanded  an  energy,  tact,  and 
perseverance,  a  talent  for  business,  a  knowledge 
of  the  country  and  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
East  and  West,  and  a  reputation  for  sagacity  and 
success,  which,  perhaps,  were  united  in  no  other 
man  in  the  West. 


MEMOIR.  161 

The  untiring  energy  and  entire  self-devotion 
with  which  Dr.  Scovel  gave  himself  to  this  work, 
as  to  every  thing  he  undertook,  are  known  to  all 
with  whom  he  was  associated;  better  known  to 
none  than  yourself.  His  every  thought  seemed 
to  be  given  to  the  College  with  a  zeal  and  single 
ness  of  heart  which  his  colleagues  can  never  for 
get,  and  the  amount  of  business  which  he  could 
accomplish,  apparently  without  effort,  was  truly 
astonishing — "like  a  star,  unhasting  and  unrest 
ing,"  would  well  describe  his  whole  career  at  this 
place.  And  he  was  as  disinterested  as  he  was 
diligent.  I  heard  an  incident  from  John  L.  Scott, 
Esq.,  which  is  so  characteristic,  and  so  honorable 
to  his  memory,  that  I  think  it  should  find  a  place 
in  his  biography.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  placing 
any  permanent  fund  he  might  have  on  hand  with 

&  Co.,  until  an  investment  offered.     In 

this  way  he  had  $1,100  of  College  funds,  and 
$1,000  of  his  own  in  their  hands  when  they  so 
unexpectedly  failed.  Dr.  S.  was  exceedingly 
concerned  about  the  loss  to  the  College,  made 
several  trips  to  Cincinnati,  and  held  many  anx 
ious  conferences  with  Mr.  Scott,  the  assignee, 
proposing  various  schemes  to  save  the  College 
interests,  but  never  once  adverting  to  his  own 
loss.  When  Mr.  Scott  reminded  him  of  this,  and 
14 


162  MEMOIR. 

expressed  his  surprise  respecting  that,  when  so 
eager  about  the  other,  "Ah,"  said  he,  "that  is  my 
money — I  can  do  what  I  please  with  that — but 
this  money  belongs  to  the  College,  and  it  must 
be  made  up.'5 

His  unvarying  and  delightful  kindness  and 
courtesy  were  equally  observable.  In  his  inter 
course  with  the  students,  with  the  faculty,  and 
with  the  world  at  large,  it  appeared  never  to  de 
sert  him,  and  could  not  but  be  noticed  by  the 
most  casual  observer.  It  certainly  had  much  to 
do  with  the  great  results  he  accomplished.  His 
brethren  of  the  faculty  of  course  enjoyed  special 
opportunities  for  perceiving  the  effects  of  this 
trait  of  his  character,  and  can  never  cease  to  re 
member  the  cordial  tone,  the  beaming  counte 
nance,  the  unaffected  kindness,  and  the  marked 
and  scrupulous  courtesy  and  considerateness 
which  always  marked  his  intercourse  with  them. 
We  were  always  of  one  mind,  so  far  as  it  is  pos 
sible  for  independent  men  to  be,  and  difficulties 
seemed  to  vanish,  when  encountered  with  such 
harmony  and  mutual  sympathy. 

Another  trait  which  should  be  referred  to,  was 
his  ready  and  active  sympathy  with  our  poor 
students,  of  whom,  you  know,  we  have  always 
many.  Nothing  could  exceed  his  interest  in 


MEMOIR.  103 

them,  or  his  active  kindness  in  devising  plans 
for  their  aid.  By  many  of  them  he  can  never 
be  forgotten.  That  he  was  the  very  soul  of  hos 
pitality  will  be  acknowledged  and  remembered  by 
all  who  ever  partook  of  it.  But  the  crowning 
glory  of  Dr.  Scovel's  character,  the  mainspring 
of  all  his  exertions,  and  the  ruler  of  all  his  life, 
was  his  piety.  This  was  observable  and  marked 
in  all  he  said  and  did,  to  a  degree  which  I  think 
I  have  never  seen  exceeded.  He  thought,  and 
planned,  and  toiled  for  the  cause  of  Missions  in 
the  West,  for  building  churches  and  schools,  and 
for  the  College,  because  the  cause  of  Christ  was 
to  be  advanced  by  them.  His  mind  seemed  ever 
awake  to  this  thought,  and  ever  on  the  stretch 
how  it  might  be  promoted.  His  piety  was  an  ev 
ery  day  and  every  hour  affair,  which  it  was  good 
for  us  to  witness.  Often  when  he  was  borne 
down  with  business,  perplexed  with  financial  af 
fairs,  wearied  and  exhausted,  if  any  thing  was 
suggested  which  might  promote  the  interests  of 
religion  in  any  way,  or  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  meanest  human  soul,  I  have  seen  how  instant 
ly  his  eye  would  glow,  and  his  whole  face  light 
up  and  assume  another  appearance.  He  was 
never  too  weary,  too  busy,  too  listless  or  too 
worldly  for  such  a  subject  to  interest  him  and 


164  MEMOIR. 

receive  his  full  attention.  Surely  no  man  ever 
deserved  better  to  take  his  place  with  him  who 
had  "gained  other  ten  talents;"  perhaps  never 
did  a  man,  certainly  no  man  I  ever  knew,  give 
himself  more  entirely,  heartily,  and  without  re 
serve,  to  his  Master's  service,  and  to  "whatever 
work  his  hand  found  to  do."  And  I  need  not 
tell  you  that  he  not  only  could  work,  and  stir  up 
others,  but  give,  and  give  liberally. 

With  such  a  tone  of  piety,  and  as  President 
of  a  Christian  college,  it  may  be  readily  supposed 
that  his  religious  influence  on  the  students  was 
active  and  beneficial  in  the  highest  degree.  He 
took  a  warm  personal  interest  in  the  religious 
state  of  every  student,  made  himself  acquainted 
with  it  as  intimately  as  possible,  and  never  lost 
an  opportunity  of  acting  on  it  for  good.  And 
no  man's  labors  could  have  been  more  markedly 
blessed.  The  first  month  of  his  residence  was 
the  period  of  one  of  the  most  powerful  revivals 
of  religion  ever  enjoyed  in  a  Western  college;  in 
which  about  thirty  out  of  seventy  students  were 
added  to  the  church,  and  about  one  hundred  in 
all  from  a  little  village  of  two  or  three  hundred 
inhabitants.  Nor  has  there  been  perhaps  any 
period  since,  when  the  Spirit's  influences  have 
not  been  manifested,  even  to  the  day  I  am  now 


MEMOIR.  165 

writing,  when  the  Lord  appears  to  be  visiting  us 
with  a  power  never  before  witnessed.  How  dif 
ferent  had  been  the  previous  state  of  things,  I 
have  before  hinted.  And  under  God,  much  of 
this  great  and  glorious  change  must  be  ascribed 
to  his  character,  his  labors,  and  his  example. 

How  can  his  Presidency  here  be  better  summed 
up,  than  by  saying  that  the  College  which  he 
found  so  low  now  possesses  a  permanent  endow 
ment  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  which  is  rapidly 
increasing,  and  numbers  one  hundred  and  fifty 
students,  of  whom  one  half  are  professors  of  reli 
gion,*  and  fifty  are  preparing  to  preach  the  gospel. 
Yet  he  would  have  been  the  last  to  claim  the 
merit  himself,  and  the  first  to  ascribe  all  the  glory 
to  God.  Very  truly,  yours, 

M.  STURGUS. 

To  REV.  JAMES  WOOD,  D.  D. 

CONCLUSION.  In  closing  this  memoir,  we  would 
say  to  the  reader,  and  especially  those  respected 
young  brethren  to  whom  it  ^dedicated,  "Go  and 
do  likewise."  We  have  presented  you  the  life  of 
one  whose  example  may  be  imitated  by  all  of 
you,  should  you  only  possess  his  spirit.  In  this 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  thirty  or  forty  more  of  the  students 
have  made  a  profession  of  religion. 


166  MEMOIR. 

circumstance  lies  the  chief  value  of  such  a  biog 
raphy.  A  man  may  run  a  brilliant  career,  which, 
though  it  inspires  admiration,  does  not  excite  us 
to  emulate  his  conduct,  because  we  regard  it  as 
above  our  reach.  He  perhaps  possessed  talents 
far  superior  to  our  own;  or  his  advantages  for 
preparation  were  greatly  above  ours;  or  he  en 
joyed  the  influence  and  co-operation  of  wealthy 
and  powerful  family  connections ;  or  the  times 
and  circumstances  in  which  he  lived  were  pecul 
iarly  favorable  for  usefulness  and  success;  in 
short,  his  history  is  so  unique  as  to  be  ill  adapted 
to  become  a  model  for  others;  and  hence,  while 
we  are  delighted  in  the  perusal  of  his  biography, 
we  derive  comparatively  little  practical  benefit. 
In  the  present  case  it  is  otherwise.  With  ordinary 
intellect,  good  common  sense,  and  a  gracious  dis 
position,  all  of  you,  by  suitable  exertions,  may 
become  as  pious  and  useful  as  he  was.  Be  as 
prayerful,  meek  and  benevolent,  as  conscientious, 
forgiving  and  upright,  as  active,  zealous  and  per 
severing  in  doing  good,  and  you  will  be  as  favor 
ably  known  and  as  much  respected  in  the  sphere 
in  which  Providence  may  place  you,  as  he  was  in 
his.  And  when  upon  your  removal  by  death, 
your  epitaph  shall  be  written,  it  will  record  to 
your  honor,  and  the  benefit  of  your  descendants 


MEMOIR.  167 ' 

that  highest  and  best  eulogy  ever  bestowed  on 
mortals — an  eulogy  furnished  for  God's  faithful 
servants  by  the  pen  of  inspiration:  "I  heard  a 
voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me,  Write,  blessed 
are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth : 
yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from 
their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 


APPENDIX. 


THOUGHTS  ON  MISSIONS  AND  EDUCATION    IN  THE  WEST. 

The  prominent  features  of  the  preceding  Me 
moir  are  of  such  a  character  as  to  render  perti 
nent  some  additional  thoughts  on  missions  and 
education  in  the  West.  When  our  country  was 
first  settled,  and  during  the  period  of  its  colonial 
existence,  it  was  like  a  garden,  small  in  extent, 
and  set  with  choice  plants.  The  comparatively 
small  strip  of  land  lying  east  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains  was  the  sole  surface  of  our  occupied 
territory;  and  so  select  were  its  first  inhabitants, 
that,  as  has  been  well  remarked,  "God  sifted  three 
kingdoms  in  order  to  find  seed  with  which  to  sow 
it."  Some  changes,  without  doubt,  took  place  in 
a  short  time;  but  up  to  the  period  of  our  revolu 
tionary  struggle,  so  gradual  was  the  increase  of 
our  population,  and  so  careful  were  the  guardians 
of  society  to  provide  for  its  best  interests,  that 


170  APPENDIX. 

science,  morality,  and  religion,  exerted  a  benign 
and  controlling  influence  in  every  part  of  the 
country.  Let  us  mark  the  progress  of  events 
since  that  period.  There  have  been  added  to  our 
former  territorial  limits,  East  and  West  Florida, 
Louisiana,  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Texas,  Oregon, 
New  Mexico,  Utah,  and  California.  Our  present 
boundaries  contain  an  area  on  the  Atlantic  slope 
of  about  400,000  square  miles;  in  the  Missis 
sippi  valley  of  nearly  8,500,000  square  miles, 
and  on  the  Pacific  slope  of  1,000,000  square 
miles.  From  this  it  appears  that  in  1775,  when 
our  nation  assumed  an  independent  existence,  it 
was  only  one  sixth  as  large  as  it  is  now,  and  that 
the  increase  has  been  chiefly  in  the  West,  consti 
tuting  what  are  now  known  as  the  Western  and 
Southwestern  States  and  Territories. 

The  capabilities  of  this  vast  country  for  sus 
taining  a  population,  are  above  comprehension. 
Not  a  State  in  the  Union  has  reached  a  tenth 
part  of  the  population  it  is  capable  of  sustaining, 
and  there  were  computed  to  be,  prior  to  the  ac 
cession  of  the  territory  acquired  from  Mexico,  a 
thousand  millions  of  acres  of  public  lands  wholly 
unoccupied — now,  twice  as  much  — which  in  a 
few  years  will  become  the  home  of  many  millions 
of  freemen. 


APPENDIX.  171 

The  census  for  1840  gives  the  total  of  our 
population  at  upwards  of  17,000,000.  Every 
year  since  has  added  5  or  600,000  more,  making 
the^aggregate  at  the  present  time  of  nearly  23,- 
000,000.  Reasoning  from  these  data,  and  mak 
ing  a  due  estimate  for  the  increase  of  this  ratio, 
there  will  be,  within  a  century  to  come,  300,000,- 
000  of  human  beings  occupying  the  soil  over 
which  is  now  extended  the  genial  influence  of  our 
civil  and  religious  institutions.  And  if  we  might 
proceed  farther,  we  should  find  room,  without  ex 
hausting  our  capabilities,  for  doubling  and  treb 
ling  that  number.  The  territory  of  the  United 
States  is  about  as  large  as  the  whole  empire  of 
Great  Britain,  including  all  her  colonies  and  de 
pendencies  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  and  America, 
which  contains  all  together  180  or  200,000,000 
of  inhabitants;  and  it  is  more  than  twice  as  large 
as  the  empire  of  China,  which,  according  to  a  re 
cent  estimate,  has  a  population  of  360  millions. 
Now  let  it  be  remembered  that  five-sixths  of  our 
territory  lies  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains, 
and  that  the  comparative  increase  of  population 
in  different  sections  of  our  country  is  much 
greater  in  the  West  than  the  East.  It  is  but  75 
years  since  the  first  permanent  settlement  was 
made  west  of  those  mountains;  and  yet  in  19 


172  APPENDIX. 

years  afterwards,  Kentucky,  where  this  settle 
ment  commenced,  had  a  population  sufficient  to 
form  a  State.  Fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  all  the 
white  inhabitants  in  the  whole  West  and  South 
west,  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  was 
less  than  one  fourth  of  a  million.  Now  there 
are  within  the  same  boundaries  more  than  six 
millions,  or  twice  as  many  as  were  contained  in 
the  original  States  at  the  declaration  of  Ameri 
can  Independence.  Within  fifteen  years  past 
Ohio  has  increased  in  population  fifty  per  cent, 
Indiana  and  Missouri  have  doubled,  Illinois  and 
Arkansas  have  trebled,  Michigan  has  increased 
nearly  seven  fold,  while  Wisconsin  and  Iowa  have 
received  their  entire  population.  Texas,  which 
a  few  years  ago  received  its  first  settlers  from 
the  United  States,  has  become  itself  a  large  and 
prosperous  State;  and  New  Mexico,  which  lies 
contiguous,  will  soon  imitate  her  example.  If 
we  proceed  farther,  we  "behold  California,  which 
five  years  ago  was  almost  unknown  to  the  civil 
ized  world,  now  marching  onward  in  the  gigantic 
strides  of  an  independent  and  powerful  State,  and 
attracting  the  attention  of  all  nations.  We  "be 
hold  Oregon,  all  grown  up  in  a  few  short  years, 
and  now  organized  and  in  operation  as  a  political 
and  civil  commonwealth."  We  "see  Utah,  a 


APPENDIX.  173 

name  not  spoken  among  us  until  within  a  few 
weeks,  and  her  place  on  the  map  of  the  world  not 
yet  defined,  knocking  at  the  door  of  the  Ameri 
can  Congress  for  recognition  as  a  candidate  for 
the  high  destiny  of  political  life."  In  short,  we 
"behold  the  entire  field  of  the  vast  declivity  of 
our  western  domain,  extending  from  the  summit 
ridge  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and 
from  the  British  Dominions  on  the  north  to  Mex 
ico  on  the  South,  a  field  but  lately,  for  the  most 
part,  an  unknown  and  untraveled  wilderness,  but 
now  swarming  with  a  population  from  every  quar 
ter  of  the  world,  and  about  to  rival  the  old  States 
'of  the  Union." 

What  ought  to  be  done  to  evangelize  and  edu 
cate  the  inhabitants  of  this  vast  territory?  With 
such  facts  before  us  as  have  been  adduced,  it  does 
not  require  a  prophet's  vision  to  enable  us  to  pre 
dict,  that  at  no  distant  period  the  majority  of  our 
population,  and  consequently  the  preponderance 
of  power  and  influence,  will  be  in  the  West ;  and 
if  its  energies  are  allowed  to  grow  up  into  giant 
strength,  without  the  benign  appliances  of  sound 
learning  and  pure  Christianity,  the  result  will  be 
most  disastrous  to  our  civil  and  religious  liberty 
—  most  disastrous  to  the  cause  of  human  freedom 
throughout  the  world.  This  result  might  be  an- 


174  APPENDIX. 

ticipated,  even  though  the  emigrants  to  these 
sections  of  our  country  were  all  native  Ameri 
cans.  Let  them  be  without  churches  and  school 
houses,  without  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  teach 
ers  of  the  youth  and  children,  and  they  would 
soon  become  disqualified  to  maintain  free  institu 
tions.  But  the  danger  will  appear  still  greater 
when  we  consider  the  fact  that  many  of  these 
emigrants  being  from  foreign  countries,  are  unac 
quainted  with  the  genius  of  our  government,  and 
are,  to  a  very  large  extent,  the  votaries  of  a  reli 
gion  which  is  inimical  to  civil  liberty.  The  mere 
circumstance  of  their  being  foreigners  is  not  the 
ground  of  our  apprehension,  but  their  want  of 
proper  qualifications  to  become  good  citizens. 
Our  country  was  originally  settled  by  emigrants 
from  other  lands.  Nearly  every  nation  in  Eu 
rope  furnished  material  to  populate  this  new 
world.  And  yet,  though  belonging  originally  to 
different  countries,  though  speaking  different 
languages,  and  accustomed  to  different  forms  of 
of  civil  government,  they  soon  coalesced  and 
found  a  homogeneous  people.  They  were  gener 
ally  men  of  intelligence  and  virtue,  and  were 
brought  here  for  the  most  part  by  the  prompt 
ings  of  one  common  sympathy,  viz :  to  escape 
the  religious  intolerance  of  the  old  world,  and  to 


APPENDIX.  175 

enjoy  liberty  of  conscience  in  the  new.  Here 
were  the  English  Puritans  who  fled  from  the  per 
secutions  of  the  intolerant  court  of  King  James 
the  First  and  his  successors;  the  Scotch  and  Irish 
Presbyterians,  who  were  forced  from  their  country 
rather  than  yield  submission  to  an  oppressive  hi 
erarchy;  the  French  Huguenots,  who  barely  es 
caped  with  their  lives  from  the  inexorable  vio 
lence  of  Papal  cruelty;  and  the  Dutch  Calvin- 
ists  and  German  Lutherans,  who,  though  more 
highly  favored  at  home,  saw  fit  to  join  their  per 
secuted  brethren  of  other  countries,  and  share 
with  them  in  the  toils  and  perils  of  planting  a 
church  in  the  wilderness,  and  founding  for  them 
selves  and  their  children  free  institutions. 

If  all  or  even  most  of  those  who  are  now  emi 
grating  to  our  shores  from  other  countries,  and 
seeking  a  home  in  the  great  West,  were  of  such  a 
character,  we  should  feel  no  apprehension  for  the 
result.  They  would  bring  with  them  the  ele 
ments  of  good  society,  and  would  not  rest  satis 
fied  without  enjoying  the  means  of  grace  and  fa 
cilities  for  educating  their  children.  It  has  ever 
been  the  pride  of  America  that  she  offers  to  the 
oppressed  of  all  nations  an  asylum  where  they 
may  breathe  the  pure  air  of  freedom.  Many 
have  availed  themselves  of  the  privileges  thus 


176  APPENDIX. 

afforded,  who  were  among  our  most  useful  and 
valued  citizens;  and  we  rejoice  to  believe  that  a 
considerable  number  of  those  who  are  coming 
now  are  of  this  character.     To  such  we  give  a 
cordial  welcome.     But  what  shall  we  say  of  an 
other  portion,  who  are  the  refuse  of  other  lands, 
drawn  from  their  hospitals  and  jails,  too  indolent 
to  support  themselves  by  honest  industry,  or  too 
vicious  to  be  allowed  the  common  privileges  of 
society;  but  sent  here,  as  we  are  told,  at  the 
public  expense,  either  to  be  sustained  by  our 
charity,  or  to  trespass  upon  our  rights?     Many 
others,  though  less  degraded,  are  too  vicious  to 
become  useful  citizens,  and  too  ignorant  to  share 
in  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  a  republican 
government.     Most  of  them  are  from  countries 
whose  government  is  monarchical,  and  yet  they 
come  here,  not  like  the  immigrants  of  former 
days,  to  escape  from  oppression  and  enjoy  ra 
tional  liberty,  but  from  other  motives;  and  hence 
they  are  poorly  prepared  for  the  change  which 
takes  place  in  their  relations.     A  large  portion 
of  them,  as  has  been  already  intimated,  are  the 
votaries  of  a  religion,  which,  though  nominally 
Christian,  is  a  base  mixture  of  Christianity  and 
Paganism,  a  religion  which  withholds  the  Bible 
from  the  people,  denies  to  its  disciples  the  right 


APPENDIX.  177 

of  private  judgment,  and  places  them,  soul  and 
body,  under  the  absolute  control  of  their  spirit 
ual  rulers — a  system  which  makes  allegiance  to 
the  Pope  of  paramount  obligation  to  any  civil 
oath,  and  absolves  its  members  from  obedience  to 
the  laws  of  the  land,  when  it  is  required  by  the 
good  of  the  church.  This  class  of  emigrants,  as 
we  have  reason  to  believe,  are  brought  here  by  a 
preconcerted  plan  of  operation,  for  the  purpose  of 
spreading  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  through 
out  our  country.  For  their  settlement  here,  and 
for  other  purposes  connected  therewith,  nearly  a 
million  of  dollars  are  annually  contributed  by  Eu 
ropean  princes  and  other  friends  of  Rome,  with  n, 
view  of  controlling  and  revolutionizing  our  gov 
ernment,  and  making  these  United  States  what 
Austria  and  Italy  now  are. 

Again  we  ask,  what  ought  to  be  done?  We 
do  not  propose  the  abridgment  of  our  territory, 
but  the  placing  of  it  under  an  efficient  intellect 
ual  and  moral  culture.  We  do  not  ask  to  have 
a  check  put  upon  the  increase  of  our  population, 
but  for  the  employment  of  those  means  by  which 
the  millions  who  are  ignorant  and  vicious  shall 
become  intelligent,  moral,  and  religious.  The 
West  especially  must  be  the  object  of  our  atten 
tion,  where  society  is  in  a  forming  state,  and 


178  APPENDIX. 

where  errors  of  every  name  gain  an  easy  ascen 
dency  over  the  public  mind;  where  our  popula 
tion,  both  native  and  foreign,  is  increasing  with 
greater  rapidity  than  in  any  other  part  of  our 
country;  where  will  soon  be  the  balance  of  power, 
by  which  will  be  largely  influenced,  and  perhaps 
controlled,  the  future  character  and  destiny  of  the 
United  States,  nay,  of  the  whole  world.  We  are 
a  commercial  people,  and  are  constantly  bearing 
to  every  shore  the  impress  of  our  national  char 
acter.  Our  channels  of  commercial  intercourse 
with  other  countries,  which  have  hitherto  been 
chiefly  confined  to  our  eastern  ports,  are  opening 
in  the  west ;  and  if  the  enemies  of  sound  litera 
ture,  and  of  religious  truth  and  righteousness,  are 
successful  in  their  efforts  to  leaven  this  country, 
and  particularly  the  West,  with  the  leaven  of 
popery  and  infidelity;  to  corrupt  the  morals  and 
extinguish  the  piety  of  our  citizens,  the  death 
knell  of  human  rights  will  be  rung  all  over  the 
earth,  and  anarchy  or  despotism  will  become  the 
eomrii^n  lot  of  mankind. 

We;My,  then,  that  the  cause  of  missions  and 
education  is  intimately  connected  with  the  happi 
ness  and  hopes  of  this  country  and  of  mankind. 
If  by  our  remissness  in  establishing  and  sustain 
ing  Christian  schools  and  churches,  we  suffer  our 


APPENDIX.  179 

country  to  be  brought  under  the  controlling  in 
fluence  of  the  Man  of  Sin,  or  of  blind  fanaticism 
or  infidelity;  it  will  be  most  disastrous  in  its 
results.  Our  national  banner  will  soon  cease  to 
wave  as  the  ensign  of  freedom,  and  our  oppressed 
and  downtrodden  descendants  will  curse  us  their 
unfaithful  sires,  for  our  shameful  betrayal  of  the 
sacred  trust  committed  to  us  by  the  God  of  hea 
ven.  Similar  anathemas  will  likewise  be  pro 
nounced  upon  us  by  those  in  other  countries, 
who  are  struggling  for  liberty,  and  are  looking  to 
us  as  the  model  nation  after  which  to  frame  their 
political  and  religious  institutions.  But  if  we 
are  faithful  and  diligent  in  bringing  our  whole 
country  under  the  protecting  and  life-giving 
influence  of  a  sound  Christian  literature  and  an 
evangelical  ministry,  this  mighty  nation  becom 
ing,  in  process  of  time,  far  mightier  still,  will  be 
as  stable  and  enduring  as  it  is  great,  and  other 
nations  receiving  from  us  our  liberty  and  our 
religion,  will  bless  us  as  being  under  God  the 
authors  of  their  happiness. 

What  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  has 
done  in  the  West  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  may 
be  learned  in  part  from  the  preceding  memoir. 

Interesting  additional  information  is  furnished 
by  the  reports  of  the  Western  Executive  Com- 


180  APPENDIX. 

mittee,  from  the  last  of  which  (the  report  for 
1851)  we  present  the  following  extracts: 

"In  comparing  our  labors  with  those  of  the 
preceding  year,  we  find  that  we  have  re-commis 
sioned  two  missionaries  less  than  we  did  last 
year,  and  commissioned  thirty-five  more,  most  of 
them  in  new  fields,  not  before  occupied  by  them, 
making  a  clear  gain  of  thirty-three  laborers  in 
our  field,  over  the  number  of  any  former  year. 
The  whole  number  commissioned  in  our  field, 
within  the  year,  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight. 
This  does  not  include  those  who  were  in  commis 
sion  at  the  commencement  of  the  year,  whose 
commissions  have  not  been  renewed.  This  is  a 
greater  advance  in  the  number  of  laborers,  than 
has  been  made  in  any  previous  year  since  our 
committee  was  appointed.  We  have  received 
into  our  treasury,  excluding  borrowed  money  to 
the  amount  of  $1,000,  $20,643  48,  being  again 
of  1,349  38,  over  the  amount  contributed  last 
year.  Last  year  we  received  legacies  to  the 
amount  of  $5,000,  whereas,  we  have  received 
only  about  $2,000  the  same  way,  the  present 
year.  The  above  sums  do  not  include  $1,100 
raised  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  expended 
in  the  support  of  a  missionary  in  that  city,  nor 
$900  contributed  by  the  Presbytery  of  South 


APPENDIX.  181 

Alabama,  and  appropriated  to  missionaries  com 
missioned  by  them,  nor  a  large  amount,  supposed 
to  be  at  least  two  thousand  dollars,  contributed 
in  St.  Louis,  and  expended  in  the  same  way. 
As  applications  for  the  commissions  of  a  portion 
of  these  missionaries  were  not  made  until  the 
year  of  their  labors  had  almost  expired,  we  have 
deemed  it  best  to  report  these  sums  in  this  way, 
and  not  as  coming  regularly  through  our  treas 
ury.  Excluding  the  above  sums,  it  will  appeal- 
that  the  contributions  from  the  churches  exceed 
those  of  the  former  year  by  about  $4,349  38, 
which  shows  that  our  cause  is  gradually  gaining 
a  stronger  hold  upon  the  affections  and  contribu 
tions  of  our  people.  Including  the  sums  men 
tioned  above  we  have  raised  about  $24,G43  48 
in  our  whole  field,  in  money,  and  $2,885  97 
worth  of  clothing. 

"  When  we  compare  the  present  state  of  mis 
sionary  operations  in  our  field  at  this  time,  with 
its  condition  six  years  since,  the  time  of  the  ap 
pointment  of  the  committee  in  the  West,  though 
we  have  much  cause  of  regret  that  we  have  not 
done  more  to  push  forward  the  work  in  this  great 
valley,  confessedly  the  most  important  mission 
ary  field  in  the  world,  yet  we  have  also  much  to 
encourage  us,  and  convince  us  that  we  have  not 


182  APPENDIX. 

labored  in  vain.  On  the  first  of  May,  1845, 
there  were  in  commission  in  our  field,  ninety- 
three  missionaries.  At  the  present  time,  there 
are  one  hundred  and  sixty-one.  The  field  then 
included  Michigan  and  Northern  Indiana,  which 
have  since  then  been  transferred  to  the  Eastern 
Committee,  but  the  Synod  of  Mississippi  then 
acted  independently,  though  its  funds  were  then 
counted  in  the  amount  then  raised  for  domestic 
missions  in  our  field.  There  were  raised  for  the 
year  ending  May  1st,  1844,  $11,369  58.  This 
year  we  have  raised  on  the  same  field,  the  Synod 
of  Northern  Indiana  excluded,  $20,643  48,  be 
ing  nearly  double  what  was  raised  in  1845. 
These  facts,  when  compared  with  the  growth 
of  this  cause  in  other  parts  of  the  Church, 
will  show  that  the  West,  though  by  no  means 
doing  her  whole  duty  in  the  premises,  is  com 
ing  up  to  it  with  as  much,  if  not  more  ra 
pidity,  than  the  other  parts  of  the  Church.  We 
mention  them  not  to  reproach  others,  or  boast- 
ingly  to  set  forth  the  results  of  our  own  labors, 
and  the  liberality  of  our  Churches.  We  in  the 
West  have  done  far  less  than  we  ought  to  have 
done,  and  could  have  done  had  we  been  more 
faithful.  But  we  state  them  to  encourage  the 
Board,  and  through  them  our  brethren  generally, 


APPENDIX.  183 

in  the  older  and  more  favored  portions  of  the 
Church,  to  assist  us  in  spreading  the  gospel  as 
our  Church  holds  and  teaches  it,  in  this  wide 
valley.  Brethren,  the  field  which  we  cultivate  is 
vast  in  extent  and  natural  resources,  its  destitu 
tions  are  without  number,  the  souls  of  its  teem 
ing  population  are  daily  crowding  into  the  eter 
nal  world,  perishing  for  the  want  of  a  faithfully 
preached  gospel.  Will  you  not  help  us  to  give 
it  to  them  now.  Send  us  your  best  men,  and 
the  money  to  sustain  them,  and  we  will  receive 
them  with  warm  hearts,  and  see  that  none  of 
them  shall  "rust  out"  for  the  want  of  work 
to  do." 

But  Dr.  Scovel's  agency  did  not  extend  over 
the  whole  field,  nor  do  the  present  opera 
tions  of  the  Western  Executive  Committee. 
The  Synods  of  Ohio,  Wheeling,  and  Pitts- 
burg,  have  made  their  collections  for  this  ob 
ject  through  the  treasury  at  Philadelphia ;  and 
the  Synod  of  Mississippi  has  conducted  its 
missionary  operation  for  most  of  the  time  inde 
pendently  of  the  Board.  Our  New  Schooil)reth- 
ren  have  also  sustained  a  very  considerable  num 
ber  of  missionaries  in  the  West,  under  the  direc 
tion  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society. 
But  after  all  that  has  been  performed,  by  both 


184  Al>  PENDIX. 

branches  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  all 
other  Christian  denominations,  there  is  an  alarm 
ing  deficiency  of  the  means  of  grace,  the  supply 
of  which  demands  prompt  and  energetic  action 
on  the  part  of  all  who  desire  the  prosperity  of 
our  country  and  the  salvation  of  perishing  souls. 
Though  we  should  not  be  unmindful  of  our  obli 
gations  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  but 
should  do  far  more  to  accomplish  that  object 
than  is  now  done  by  any  branch  of  the  church, 
yet  our  own  country  has  peculiar  claims.  That 
Scripture  is  as  true  in  spiritual  as  in  temporal 
things,  "He  that  provideth  not  for  his  own,  but 
especially  for  those  of  his  own  household,  hath 
denied  the  faith  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel." 
The  common  bonds  of  social  brotherhood,  and 
the  more  tender  ties  of  kindred,  impose  on  us 
the  duty  of  planting  and  sustaining  the  institu 
tions  of  our  holy  religion  in  every  neighborhood 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  So  vast  has 
become  our  national  domain,  that  domestic  mis 
sions  should  be  regarded  more  than  ever  before 
as  our  great  work.  This  is  especially  the  great 
work  of  western  Christians.  Every  man  here, 
who  has  a  heart  to  pray,  a  dollar  to  give,  or  the 
ability  to  labor,  should  perform  his  part  towards 
evangelizing  this  immense  territory.  Nor  should 


APPENDIX.  185 

he  relax  his  efforts  until  every  setting  sun  shall 
shine  on  thousands  of  Christian  temples ;  nor  un 
til  western  society  shall  possess  in  every  other 
respect  those  elements  of  stability  and  happiness 
which  are  enjoyed  by  our  friends  and  fellow  citi 
zens  in  the  east.  The  magnitude  of  the  work 
should  not  appal  but  animate  us.  If  we  apply 
ourselves  to  it  with  diligence  and  perseverance, 
and  are  aided  as  we  ought  to  be,  by  the  whole 
church,  we  shall,  in  a  few  years,  be  as  rich  in  re 
ligious  privileges  as  we  are  in  gold  and  other 
valuable  and  precious  metals.  There  is,  indeed, 
much  missionary  ground  in  every  part  of  our 
country.  In  saying,  therefore,  that  the  west  is 
the  great  missionary  field,  we  do  not  wish  to  have 
it  understood  that  we  regard  it  as  the  only  one. 
The  Board  of  Missions,  in  our  judgment,  acts 
wisely  in  appropriating  a  portion  of  the  funds 
placed  at  their  disposal  to  sustain  feeble  churches, 
and  to  cultivate  destitute  places  in  the  east. 
Many  churches  there  that  were  once  strong  are 
now  feeble  by  the  loss  of  members  from  emigra 
tion,  and  it  is  as  much  a  duty  to  aid  them  as  to 
aid  feeble  churches  just  organized;  and  there 
are  large  districts  there,  in  some  counties,  where 
from  want  of  culture  no  churches  have  ever  been 
planted,  but  where  equal  encouragement  is  offer- 
18 


186  APPENDIX. 

ed  to  missionary  labor,  as  in  the  new  States  of 
the  West.  Still  it  will  be  admitted  by  all  that 
the  West  possesses  peculiar  claims,  both  from  its 
vast  extent,  and  the  amazing  rapidity  with  which 
it  is  peopled.  Almost  literally  may  it  be  said 
that  a  nation  has  been  born  in  a  day;  and  it  is 
obviously  a  Christian  duty  to  provide  for  it  in 
its  infancy,  "the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word," 
that  under  a  faithful  Christian  nurture,  its  youth 
and  manhood  may  be  as  great  and  glorious  as 
its  birth  and  infancy  have  been  remarkable. 

EDUCATION. 

Next  to  a  preached  gospel,  and  in  connection 
with  it,  we  should  employ  vigorous  exertions  to 
establish  and  sustain  Christian  schools  and  colle 
ges.  The  Western  States,  as  such,  have  through 
their  legislatures  performed  and  are  now  perform 
ing  a  noble  work  in  affording  facilities  for  the 
general  diffusion  of  knowledge.  And  the  Con 
gress  of  the  United  States  have  pursued  a  lib 
eral  and  enlightened  policy  towards  the  West  by 
appropriating  public  lands  for  purposes  of  edu 
cation.  But  in  addition  to  these,  and  without 
conflicting  in  the  least  with  them,  Christians  may 
and  ought  to  provide  seminaries  of  learning,  of 
a  high  order,  to  be  conducted  under  their  own 


APPENDIX.  187 

supervision,  in  which  the  Bible,  that  book  of 
books,  shall  have  a  place  in  the  class  room,  and 
where  the  whole  course  of  instruction  shall  be 
adapted  not  only  to  sto're  the  mind  with  ancient, 
heathen  lore,  but  to  make  the  student  wise  unto 
eternal  salvation. 

In  our  judgment,  therefore,  the  Presbyterian 
Chuch  is  acting  wisely  in  founding  Colleges  un 
der  her  own  supervision.  Other  denominations 
are  doing  the  same,  and  we  have  yet  to  learn 
that  they  either  conflict  with  each  other  or  with 
colleges  established  by  the  States.  The  follow 
ing  is  a  list  of  colleges  connected  with  the  Pres 
byterian  Church  in  the  West  and  South-west: 
Washington,  near  Jonesboro, Te.  organized  1805. 
Centre,  Danville,  Ky.,  "  1819. 

Hanover,  South  Hanover,  Ind.,  "  1836. 
Oakland,  Oakland,  Miss.,  «  1830. 

McDonough,  McDonough,  111.,  "  1838. 
DesMoines,  West  Point,  Iowa,  "  1846. 
Carroll,  Waukesha,  Wis.,  «  1846. 

Austin,  Huntsville,  Texas,  «         1849. 

The  last  four  have  college  charters,  but  are,  at 
present,  only  organized  as  academies. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said  in  the  Me 
moir  concerning  Hanover,  the  following  addi 
tional  information  is  taken  from  the  last  annual 
catalogue. 


188  APPENDIX. 

"  The  entire  annual  expenditures  of  a  student 
need  not  exceed  $100  or  $120,  viz: 
Tuition,  (winter  term  $15,  summer 

do.  $10,)      -  $25  00 

Contingent  fee,  -  1  00 

Boarding  with  families,  in  a  furnish 
ed  room,  at  1  50  to  1  75  per 
week,     -pP  $60  to  70 

Fuel,  lights,  washing,  &c.,  10  to  15 

Text  books,  &c.,     -  5  to  10 

Boarding  in  clubs  will  cost  from  fifty  cents  to 
seventy-five  cents  per  week ;  and  many  board 
themselves  at  a  lower  rate.  The  other  expenses, 
for  clothing,  &c.,  will,  of  course,  vary  with  the 
taste  and  habits  of  the  student. 

"  The  village  of  Hanover  is  situated  upon  an 
elevated  bluff  of  the  Ohio  river,  six  miles  below 
Madison,  Indiana,  in  a  region  of  remarkable 
salubrity  and  beauty.  The  village  and  neigh 
borhood  are  characterized  by  morality,  and  the 
absence  of  all  ordinary  temptations  to  vice  and 
idleness.  Intoxicating  liquors  have  never  been 
sold  in  the  township;  the  traffic  being  prohibited 
by  popular  vote.  The  Ohio  river,  and  the  rail 
ways  from  Madison  and  Cincinnati,  place  Hano 
ver  within  twenty -four  hours  of  all  the  principal 
points  in  Indiana,  and  western  Ohio. 


APPENDIX.  189 

"HANOVER  COLLEGE  is  controlled  by  a  Board 
of  Trustees,  one  half  of  whom  are  appointed  by 
the  Presbyterian  Synods  of  Indiana  and  North 
ern  Indiana.  All  of  its  officers  are  ministers  or 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Since 
the  publication  of  our  last  Catalogue,  the  Board 
has  purchased  a  farm,  lying  between  the  village 
and  the  Ohio;  upon  a  beautiful  point  of  which, 
overlooking  the  river,  and  commanding  a  view  of 
its  course  for  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  it  is  pro 
posed  to  erect  a  new  College  building,  so  soon  as 
the  necessary  funds  can  be  obtained." 

Concerning  Centre  College  we  are  enabled  by 
the  courtesy  of  the  President,  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Young,  D.  D.,  to  furnish  the  following  historical 
notice: 

"Centre  College  was  chartered  by  the  Legisla 
ture  of  Kentucky,  in  1819.  Jeremiah  Cham 
berlain,  D.  D.,  the  first  President,  went  into  office 
in  1823.  In  1824,  the  Board  of  Trustees,  ac 
cording  to  an  arrangement  with  the  Presbyterian 
Synod  of  Kentucky,  procured  an  Act  of  the 
Legislature  modifying  its  charter,  so  as'to  secure 
to  the  Synod,  on  its  payment  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars  to  the  funds  of  the  Institution,  the  right 
of  appointing  the  Board  of  Trustees.  This  con 
dition  having,  in  1830,  been  completely  fulfilled 


190  APPENDIX. 

on  the  part  of  the  Synod,  all  the  members  of 
the  Board  have,  since  that  period,  been  appointed 
by  the  Synod,  as  their  terms  of  office,  from  time 
to  time,  have  expired.  One-third  of  the  Board 
are  appointed  each  year. 

"Dr.  Chamberlain  resigned  his  office  in  1826, 
and  the  Rev.  Gideon  Blackburn,  D.  D.,  succeed 
ed  him  in  1824,  the  office  having,  in  the  mean 
time,  been  temporarily  filled  by  the  Rev.  David 
C.  Proctor.  On  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Black 
burn,  in  1830,  John  C.  Young,  D.  D.,  the  present 
President,  was  elected. 

"The  number  of  Students  varied,  in  the  ear 
lier  period  of  the  existence  of  the  Institution, 
from  50  to  110,  and  a  very  large  proportion  of 
those  in  attendance,  were  pursuing  only  a  partial 
and  irregular  course.  In  1 8  3  0,  the  number  of  stu 
dents  was  33  of  all  classes,  including  those  in  the 
Grammar  School  as  well  as  those  in  the  College 
Proper.  Since  that  period,  the  number  has  been, 
with  slight  temporary  variation,  steadily  but 
slowly  increasing,  until  it  has  ranged,  during  the 
last  four  years,  from  165  to  185.  The  number 
of  those  pursuing  a  full  course  has  increased  in 
a  much  greater  ratio.  The  graduating  classes, 
formerly  very  small,  have  been  steadily  enlarging, 
aud  for  the  last  five  years  have  averaged  about 


APPENDIX.  191 

36.  The  graduates  of  the  first  twelve  years 
amounted  to  55.  This  number  the  last  ten 
years  will  have  enlarged,  by  the  close  of  the 
present  session,  to  333.  About  1320  students 
have  been  connected  with  the  Institution,  nearly 
all  of  whom  have  received  all  their  higher  educa 
tion  from  its  instructions. 

"  For  many  years  there  were  but  two  professors 
and  a  teaeher  of  the  Grammar  School.  There 
are  now  four  permanent  professors,  besides  the 
President,  and  two  teachers  of  the  Grammar 
School.  The  number  of  students  in  the  College 
Proper  is  140;  and  44  in  the  Grammar  School 
—total  in  both  188. 

"  The  original  amount  paid  by  the  Synod  to 
obtain  the  right  of  appointing  the  Board,  was  en 
tirely  consumed  in  the  buildings,  apparatus, 
library,  and  current  expenses,  and  in  1830  the 
College  was  entirely  destitute  of  means.  Since 
that  period,  funds  have  been  contributed  by  the 
liberality  of  various  individuals,  which  as  invest 
ed  by  the  Board,  in  stocks  of  various  kinds,  and 
notes,  yield  about  four  thousand,  eight  hundred 
dollars  per  annum.  Of  this  amount,  twelve 
thousand  dollars  were  given  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Laird,  of  Fayette  County,  to  endow  a  Professor 
ship.  The  Synod  has  resolved  to  raise  the  en- 


192  APPENDIX. 

dowment  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or 
sufficient  to  yield  an  income  of  six  thousand  dol 
lars  per  annum,  independent  of  tuition  fees. 
The  additional  income  is  to  be  appropriated  to 
the  support  of  additional  Professors,  and  the  en 
largement  of  the  facilities  for  the  study  of  the 
Natural  Sciences.  Measures  have  been  adopted, 
which,  it  is  expected,  will  soon  carry  into  effect 
the  resolutions  of  the  Synod,  as  an  active  and 
successful  agent  is  employed  in  raising  funds. 

"  The  College  is  located  in  Danville,  a  village 
in  the  center  of  the  State,  35  miles  distant  from 
Lexington  and  85  from  Louisville.  Excellent 
turnpike  roads  lead  to  it  from  both  these  places. 
The  regular  line  of  steam  boats  on  the  Kentucky 
river,  ply  to  a  point  within  17  miles  of  Danville, 
and  a  regular  stage  runs  between  the  town  and 
the  landing.  The  village  has  been  ever  remark 
able  for  its  health,  and  for  years  past  distin 
guished  for  the  moral  and  religious  character  of 
its  population.  Parents  can  send  their  sons  to 
no  place  where  their  morals  and  health  would  be 


more  secure." 


About  Washington  College,  Tenn.,  the  follow 
ing  brief  account  is  all  we  have  in  our  possession: 

"  Washington  College,  located  near  Jonesboro 
in  East  Tennessee,  is  believed  to  be  the  oldest 


APPENDIX.  193 

College  west  of  the  mountains.  It  was  founded 
through  the  agency  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Doak, 
one  of  the  fathers  of  Presbyterianism  in  the 
West.  It  has  stood  from  the  earliest  settlement 
of  the  country,  like  a  frontier  fort,  in  defence  of 
knowledge  and  religion.  Many  of  the  sons  of 
East  Tennessee  have  been  trained  within  its 
walls  for  all  the  learned  professions.  In  later 
years,  Washington  College  has  encountered  even 
sterner  trials  than  when  the  country  was  more 
in  a  missionary  state.  The  necessity  of  the  In 
stitution,  however,  is  magnified  in  the  midst  of 
all  its  adversities;  and  the  best  interests  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  that  interesting  and 
opening  country  are  depending  upon  its  re-invig 
orated  life. 

"  The  Board  of  Trustees  have  recently  placed 
the  College  more  definitely  and  securely  under 
Presbyterian  management,  by  giving  to  the  Pres 
byteries  of  Holston  and  Knoxville  the  right  of 
nominating  in  all  cases  of  election  by  the  Trus 
tees,  and  of  exercising  visitorial  powers. 

"A  committee  of  Holston  Presbytery  made 
the  following  statement  to  the  Board  of  Educa 
tion  in  regard  to  the  wants  of  the  College. 

" 6  We  would  on  behalf  of  our  Presbytery  ear 
nestly  recommend  that  aid  be  extended  to  Wash- 
17 


194  APPENDIX. 

ington  College.  To  sustain  it  on  our  resources 
just  now  is  impossible,  and  there  is  no  disposition 
to  make  the  effort  unaided.  Aided  for  a  few 
years,  it  is  believed,  the  College  would  become 
independent  and  sustain  itself.  It  is  necessary 
that  the  Faculty  be  composed  of  at  least  three 
at  once.  We  would  not  prescribe  to  the  Board, 
but  would  suggest  that  if  they  would  sustain 
the  President  for  one  year  at  eight  hundred  dol 
lars,  the  Trustees  would  sustain  two  Professors, 
and  that  less  would  suffice  afterwards.  The  Col 
lege  has  a  good  chemical  apparatus,  but  needs  a 
library  and  philosophical  apparatus. 

"'The  public  property  of  the  institution  is 
valued  at  ten  thousand  dollars,  consisting  of  one 
Professor's  house,  a  boarding  house,  a  college 
building  four  stories,  ninety  feet  by  thirty-six, 
and  fifty  acres  of  land.  With  the  exception  of 
two  hundred  dollars  paid  by  Salem  church  for 
the  pastoral  labors  of  the  Professors,  the  only 
means  of  paying  Professor's  salaries  are  derived 
from  tuition  fees.  The  debt  of  the  College  is 
about  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  towards  the  liquida 
tion  of  which  the  Trustees  have  recently  en 
gaged  to  pay  out  of  their  private  means  one 
thousand  dollars.' ' 

The  latest  catalogue  of  Oakland  College  which 


APPENDIX.  195 

I  have  seen  is  that  of  1845.  The  College  had 
then  graduated  in  all  5G  young  men,  ten  of  whom 
were  candidates  for  the  gospel  ministry.  It  had 
a  library  of  4,000  volumes,  and  a  permanent 
fund  of  nearly  §5G,000,  exclusive  of  ground 
and  buildings,  which  are  very  valuable. 

All  these  Colleges  ought  to  receive  the  foster 
ing  care  and  liberal  support  of  the  church.  And 
besides  these,  other  similar  institutions  should 
be  established  and  endowed  as  rapidly  as  the  con 
dition  of  society  in  the  Western  States  will  ren 
der  it  practicable.  Every  Synod  at  least  should 
have  a  college;  and  where  the  territory  embraced 
in  a  Synod  is  large,  or  the  population  numerous, 
or  where  other  local  advantages  justify  such  a 
measure,  a  still  greater  number  may  be  estab 
lished  with  much  benefit  to  the  community. 
The  Roman  Catholics  have  a  college  in  connec 
tion  with  every  cathedral;  the  result  of  which 
arrangement  is,  that  in  ah1  our  large  cities,  and 
in  some  small  towns,  a  liberal  education  is  ren 
dered  accessible  to  very  many  who  would  not 
obtain  it  if  there  was  no  such  institution  located 
in  the  place.  Protestants  ought  to  imitate  their 
example  in  this  particular.  They  should  do  it 
in  self-defence,  to  prevent  the  youth  of  our  cities 
from  being  educated  in  schools  adverse  to  bible 


196  APPENDIX. 

Christianity  and  the  genius  of  our  American 
government.  They  should  do  it,  also,  in  order 
to  bring  a  thorough  education  within  the  reach 
of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  talented  youth, 
who  are  growing  up  in  our  cities  without  the  re 
quisite  pecuniary  means  to  pay  the  expense  of 
obtaining  an  education  abroad.  On  many  ac 
counts  a  small  village  or  a  rural  district  is  a  more 
eligible  location  for  literary  institutions.  This 
is  admitted  by  all,  and  we  would  by  no  means 
change  the  popular  sentiment  on  this  subject. 
But  in  addition  to  these,  our  cities  should  have 
schools  of  their  own,  inferior  to  none  in  the  land 
— not  as  rivals  to  those  in  the  country,  nor  with 
a  view  of  drawing  away  students  from  the  latter, 
but  to  meet  a  necessity  which  cannot  be  supplied 
in  any  other  way.  The  objection,  that  the  suc 
cess  of  the  one  must  necessarily  result  in  the 
injury  of  the  other,  will  be  wholly  removed,  when 
such  a  spirit  prevails  among  the  people  as 
there  ought  to  be.  From  200  to  250  stu 
dents  are  as  many  as  any  college  ought  to 
desire  —  because  it  is  as  many  as  can  be  well 
instructed  and  well  governed  by  one  Faculty. 
Though  this  number  is  larger  than  is  found  at 
present  in  any  of  our  Western  colleges,  the  rea 
son  lies  not  in  the  great  number  of  colleges,  but 


APPENDIX.  197 

in  the  general  apathy  of  our  citizens  on  the  sub 
ject  of  giving  their  sons  a  liberal  education. 
When  learning  shall  be  valued  above  gold,  and  a 
knowledge  of  letters  shall  be  regarded  as  of  so 
much  importance  that  our  young  men  will  not 
be  hurried  into  business  before  their  minds  are 
properly  cultivated,  there  will  be  no  lack  of  stu 
dents  to  fill  all  our  colleges,  and  no  lack  of  means 
to  support  them. 

THEOLOGICAL  EDUCATION. 

Of  equal  importance  with  colleges  are  Theo 
logical  seminaries,  in  which  a  thorough  course  of 
theological  instruction  may  be  given  to  candi 
dates  for  the  gospel  ministry.  A  single  one  of 
these  only  will  be  noticed  at  this  time,  viz:  the 
Theological  Seminary  located  at  New  Albany, 
Indiana.  Some  historical  account  of  this  Semi 
nary  is  peculiarly  appropriate  from  its  having 
been  at  first  identical,  in  one  sense,  with  Hano 
ver  College,  and  from  its  having  continued  to  be 
closely  connected  with  it  for  eight  or  ten  years 
afterwards.  In  our  statement  we  shall  avail  our 
selves,  in  part,  of  materials  furnished,  and  lan 
guage  used,  by  two  well  known  and  highly  es 
teemed  ministers  in  Kentucky. 

Soon  after  the  Western  Theological  Seminary 


198  APPENDIX. 

was  located  by  the  General  Assembly  at  Alle 
gheny,  Pa,,  in  1827,  the  conviction  became  gen 
eral  among  the  churches  in  the  regions  farther 
west,  that  another  Seminary  was  demanded. 
This  conviction  gathered  strength  with  the  in 
creasing  strength  and  enterprise  of  the  churches. 
In  1830  a  Theological  Seminary  was  undertaken 
by  the  Synod  of  Indiana  at  South  Hanover;  and 
was  conducted  by  that  Synod  in  conjunction  with 
Hanover  College  for  six  years ;  when  the  two 
Institutions  were  separated  from  each  other,  but 
continued  to  be  carried  on  in  the  same  place.  In 
1838,  a  meeting  of  Ministers  and  Elders,  pres 
ent  at  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly, 
was  held  for  the  purpose  of  deliberation  respect 
ing  a  permanent  and  well  endowed  seminary  for 
this  region.  That  meeting  appointed  a  commit 
tee  of  five,  who  were  directed  to  correspond  with 
the  friends  of  the  Hanover  and  Allegheny  schools, 
and  lay  before  the  Presbyteries  in  the  West  the 
result  of  their  inquiries.  The  committee  ascer 
tained  that  the  friends  of  Allegheny  would  not 
consent  to  its  removal.  The  Hanover  Directors 
expressed  their  willingness  to  remove  their  school 
to  any  point  indicated  by  the  voice  of  the  church 
es,  "provided  it  be  not  much  farther  up  the 
river  than  South  Hanover."  The  committee, 


APPENDIX.  199 

therefore,  issued  a  circular,  directed  to  the  Syn 
ods  and  Presbyteries  in  the  West,  reciting  these 
facts,  stating  the  importance  of  the  object,  and 
inviting  these  judicatories  to  appoint  delegates 
to  meet  in  convention  at  Louisville,  in  Novem 
ber,  1838,  in  order  to  determine  on  the  plan  and 
location  of  a  seminary.  On  the  assembling  of 
the  convention,  it  appeared  that  delegates  were 
present  from  the  Synods  of  Indiana,  Ciucmmiati, 
and  Kentucky,  and  from  seven  Presbyteries. 
The  convention  having  adopted  a  plan  for  the 
proposed  seminary,  took  up  the  subject  of  its  lo 
cation.  The  following  places  were  put  in  nomi 
nation:  Paris  and  Bardstown,  Ky.,  and  Hanover, 
Charlestown,  Corydou,  and  New  Albany,  Ind. 
The  minutes  of  the  meeting  inform  us  that  "the 
respective  claims  "  of  the  places  in  nomination 
were  presented.  They  further  state,  that,  "after 
considering  the  whole  subject  with  great  care 
and  at  considerable  length,  the  convention  deter 
mined  to  locate  the  seminary  at  New  Albany, 
Indiana,  and  in  this  decision  those  who  originally 
preferred  some  other  place  cordially  acquiesced." 
Arrangements  were  accordingly  made  for  com 
mencing  operations  at  New  Albany,  the  following 
year.  But  some  unexpected  occurrences  pre 
vented  this  from  being  carried  into  effect  during 


200  APPENDIX. 

that  year ;  and,  in  the  meantime,  the  institution 
being  still  at  Hanover,  Elias  Ayers,  Esq.,  of 
New  Albany,  since  deceased,  proposed  to  com 
mence  its  endowment  by  a  donation  of  $15,000, 
on  condition  that  a  like  sum  should  be  secured 
from  other  sources,  and  on  the  further  condition 
that  the  vote  of  the  convention  should  be  carried 
out  with  regard  to  its  location.  In  November, 
1840,  the  seminary  opened  at  New  Albany,  un 
der  the  auspices  of  the  Synods  of  Indiana  and 
Cincinnati.  Its  plan  and  location  met  the  hearty 
approbation  of  the  churches  in  this  region. 
Within  six  years  after  its  establishment  five 
other  large  and  influential  Synods  connected 
themselves  with  it,  viz:  Missouri,  Illinois,  Ken 
tucky,  West  Tennessee,  and  Northern  Indiana. 

New  Albany  is  admirably  adapted  to  this  pur 
pose.  It  is  accessible  by  river  and  by  rail-way; 
it  contains  an  industrious  and  intelligent  popula 
tion  ;  means  of  living  are  cheap ;  and  it  com 
bines  all  the  advantages  needed  for  the  student 
in  theology.  It  is  admirably  situated  in  relation 
to  the  two  parts  of  the  country  whose  interests 
are  supposed  to  be  conflicting.  It  is  established 
in  Indiana,  and  yet  near  the  largest  city  in  Ken 
tucky.  Its  Professors  and  students,  therefore, 
reside  in  a  free  state,  and  may  yet  have  inti- 


APPENDIX.  201 

mate  associations  with  the  brethren  and  churches 
in  a  state  containing  opposite  institutions.  Its 
location  on  the  one  side  of  the  river,  and  its  inti 
mate  associations  with  brethren  on  both  sides, 
have  secured  for  it  the  confidence  and  patronage 
of  four  Synods  on  the  one  side  and  three  on 
the  other. 

The  Seminary  at  New  Albany  enjoys,  in  other 
ways,  a  singular  combination  of  advantages.  It 
is  established  in  the  suburbs  of  a  smaU  city,  but 
within  an  hour's  journey  of  a  great  population. 
Louisville,  New  Albany,  Jeffersonville,  Portland, 
and  Shippingsport,  are  supposed  to  contain,  in 
the  aggregate,  at  least  sixty  thousand  souls,  with 
the  prospect  of  an  indefinite  increase.  There 
are  already  seven  churches  of  our  order  in  these 
places,  some  of  them  large  and  influential.  The 
professors  will  have  ample  opportunities  in  these 
churches  for  the  exercise  of  their  gifts,  as  preach 
ers,  and  of  whatever  powers  they  may  possess 
for  the  defense  of  the  truth,  and  the  refutation 
of  error.  The  pupils  also  will  find,  in  this  great 
population,  ample  scope  for  their  abilities  to  do 
good,  in  sabbath  schools,  by  tract  distribution, 
by  visiting  the  poor  and  the  sick,  and  by  holding 
meetings  for  prayer  and  exhortation.  The  loca 
tion  combines  in  a  remarkable  degree,  the  advan- 


202  APPENDIX. 

tages  of  retirement  for  study,  and  a  wide  field 
for  religious  effort. 

Since  the  first  establishment  of  the  seminary 
it  has  educated  considerably  over  100  young 
men ;  four  of  whom  are  engaged  in  the  foreign 
missionary  work,  a  large  number  are  laborious 
and  successful  pastors  and  missionaries  in  the 
domestic  field,  and  some  have  gone  to  their  eter 
nal  reward.  The  library  contains  nearly  3000 
volumes;  and  an  endowment  has  been  secured 
for  the  support  of  two  professors,  besides  the  pro 
fessorship  endowed  by  the  synod  of  Kentucky. 
With  vigorous  exertions,  a  few  years  only  will  be 
required,  to  place  the  Institution,  with  regard  to 
buildings,  library,  &c.,  on  the  most  desirable  and 
permanent  basis.  Already,  is  it  equal,  in  the 
number  of  professors,  to  any  other  seminary  in 
the  United  States;  and  those  who  have  pursued 
their  studies  here,  show  by  their  standing  and 
usefulness  in  the  church,  that  they  have  been 
well  instructed.  We  bespeak  for  this  seminary 
the  patronage  of  the  Western  churches;  and 
what  is  equally  important,  yea  much  more  so,  we 
solicit  for  it  their  devout  and  fervent  prayers. 
No  local  advantages,  and  no  amount  of  pecuniary 
endowment,  can  of  themselves,  make  any  institu 
tion  prosperous,  whether  it  be  literary  or  theo- 


APPENDIX.  20?) 

logical;  and  hence,  special  prayer  should  be  of 
fered  to  God,  that  schools  of  every  grade,  from 
the  primary  school  and  academy  to  the  college 
and  theological  seminary,  may  enjoy  the  gracious 
influences  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  to  renew  the  hearts 
of  the  unconverted,  and  impart  a  divine  unction 
to  those  who  are  already  Christians.  It  is  by 
his  agency  that  our  churches  are  to  be  replen 
ished  with  pious  and  useful  members,  and  sup 
plied  with  devoted  and  efficient  ministers,  that 
society  is  to  be  elevated  and  made  happy,  and 
the  world  enlightened  and  saved. 

But  we  cannot  avoid  repeating  the  remark, 
that  even  the  grace  of  God  does  not  supersede 
the  necessity  of  a  full  and  thorough  course  of 
study.  This  subject  is  so  important,  and  candi 
dates  for  the  gospel  ministry  are  so  liable  to  mis 
take  their  duty  in  respect  to  it,  that  in  addition 
to  what  we  have  hitherto  said  in  the  preceding 
Memoir,  we  shall  transfer  to  these  pages  an  offi 
cial  paper  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Education, 
in  January  or  February  last;  which  we  earnestly 
commend  to  the  consideration  of  theological  stu 
dents  and  of  the  Presbyteries  under  whose  care 
they  are  prosecuting  their  studies.  See  The 
Home  and  Foreign  Record,  for  Feb.  1851,  p.  21. 

"The  Board  of  Education,  (deeming  it  their 


204  APPENDIX. 

duty  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Church  to  what 
ever  seems  to  have  an  injurious  effect  upon  the 
thorough  preparation  of  candidates  for  the  minis 
try,  beg  leave  to  submit  a  few  considerations 
against  the  practice  of  allowing  young  men  to  enter 
upon  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  before  they  have 
completed  their  theological  studies.  Several  cases 
have  occurred  during  the  present  year  among 
the  candidates  under  their  care,  which  justify 
some  remarks  on  this  important  subject.  Whilst 
the  Board  disclaim  all  attempts  at  dictation,  they 
believe  that  their  statements  will  be  received  with 
candor  and  weighed  with  deliberation. 

"1.  The  practice  of  allowing  candidates  to  com 
mence  the  full  work  of  the  ministry  before  com 
pleting  their  theological  studies,  is,  in  the  first 
place,  doing  them  personally  an  injury.  The  Bi 
ble  has  many  allusions  to  the  importance  of 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  to  min 
ister  in  holy  things.  An  undisciplined  and  un 
furnished  mind,  or  one  imperfectly  trained,  will 
rarely  be  able  to  teach  others  to  edification.  The 
existing  arrangements  of  the  theological  course 
are  believed  to  have  been  planned  in  wisdom,  and 
to  be  sustained  by  the  general  testimony  of  ex 
perience.  Ministers  are  never  found  to  regret 
having  remained  in  the  Seminary  the  full  period 


APPENDIX.  205 

prescribed  by  its  regulations.  On  the  contrary, 
many  a  lamentation  has  been  made  by  those  who 
have  unwisely  shortened  their  theological  course, 
and  entered  upon  their  work  without  adequate 
preparation.  No  future  diligence  can  make 
amends  for  a  deficiency  at  the  beginning.  It  is 
far  better  for  the  candidate,  whatever  his  applica 
tion  as  a  student  may  be  after  he  has  engaged  in 
the  ministry,  to  lay  a  good  foundation  in  the 
Seminary,  on  which  to  build  the  superstructure 
of  his  future  attainments.  In  most  of  our  insti 
tutions  the  course  is  now  so  arranged  that  the 
student  only  goes  through  a  part  of  systematic 
divinity,  unless  he  remains  during  the  third  year. 
The  Board  are  far  from  affirming  that  there  may 
be  no  worthy  exceptions  to  the  three  years'  rule; 
but  their  own  observation  has  led  them  to  notice 
that  those  students  whose  attainments  are  the 
highest,  rarely  wish  to  abandon  prematurely  the 
privileges  of  the  theological  institution.  The 
candidates  who  are  the  least  qualified  to  go  forth 
into  the  vineyard  are  too  often  those  who  are 
seized  with  the  desire  to  give  up  study.  The 
practice  of  licensing  young  men  while  in  the 
Seminary  may  be  a  good  one,  if  it  is  linked  with 
the  obligation  to  complete  then*  preparatory 
course.  Otherwise,  it  is  believed  to  be  common 
ly  fraught  with  evil. 


206  APPENDIX. 

All  the  considerations  which  establish  in  gen 
eral  the  necessity  of  a  full  course,  apply  with  in 
creased  power  to  the  candidates  under  the  care 
of  the  Board  of  Education.  Because  the  most 
of  them,  having  commenced  their  preparations 
late  in  life,  have  greater  need  to  prosecute  their 
studies  during  the  full  time  contemplated  by  the 
arrangements  of  the  Seminary.  The  Board,  there 
fore,  do  not  hesitate  to  state  their  conviction  that 
— with  rare  exceptions,  such  as  are  not  now  with 
in  their  view — a  great  personal  injury,  is  inflict 
ed  upon  the  candidates  who  are  encouraged  to 
hurry  through  the  Seminary,  and  to  preach  the 
gospel  with  imperfect  preparations. 

"2.  In  the  second  place,  the  evil  of  allowing  a 
few  candidates  to  leave  the  Seminary  in  the  midst 
of  their  studies,  throws  temptations  in  the  way  of 
all,  and  relaxes  the  authority  of  a  general  and 
salutary  rule.  It  is  probable  that  a  large  num 
ber  of  candidates,  if  they  had  their  own  way, 
would  leave  the  Seminary  at  the  end  of  the  sec 
ond  year,  if  not  before.  Positive  requirements 
are  necessary  to  enforce  the  duty  of  mature  prep 
aration  for  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Just  in 
proportion,  therefore,  to  the  departures  from  the 
strictness  of  the  rule,  will  be  the  tendency  to  un 
settle  the  minds  of  students  in  regard  to  their 


APPENDIX.  207 

own  particular  cases.  All  the  candidates  of  the 
Board  have  indeed,  either  by  a  written  or  implied 
pledge,  entered  into  obligations  to  pursue  a  three 
years'  course  of  studies.  And  yet  during  the 
present  year,  several  have  left  the  Seminary 
without  even  consulting  the  Board,  professing  to 
be  caUed  in  conscience  to  preach  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  The  Professors  in  one  of  our  seminaries 
at  the  West  lately  memorialized  a  Synod  on  the 
subject  of  resisting  the  tendencies  in  candidates 
to  shorten  their  time  of  study.  It  is  believed 
that,  if  the  Presbyteries  would  be  more  strict  in 
this  matter,  the  young  men  would  consider  it  a 
settled  thing  to  pursue  their  studies  for  three 
years,  and  would  rarely  think  of  interpreting 
providence  to  mean  an  escape  from  a  full  course. 
A  thorough  impression  on  the  minds  of  students, 
of  the  necessity  of  remaining  in  the  Seminaiy  to 
the  end  of  its  session,  is  the  surest  mode  of  cor 
recting  the  tendency  complained  of. 

"3.  In  the  third  place,  a  wrong  is  inflicted  upon 
the  congregations  over  whom  superficially  pre 
pared  ministers  are  placed.  Our  people  expect 
to  be  instructed  and  edified  by  those  who  are  set 
over  them  in  the  Lord.  It  is  obvious,  however, 
that  this  just  hope  is  impaired  by  allowing  can 
didates  to  shorten  the  process  of  their  education. 


208  APPENDIX. 

The  requirements  of  our  Church,  even  in  their 
strictest  letter,  are  not  so  high  as  to  occupy  time 
unnecessarily;  nor  do  they  aim  at  any  attainments 
which  may  be  dispensed  with  in  safety.  Our  con 
gregations,  being  composed  very  generally  of 
thoughtful  minds,  and  almost  always  numbering 
those  who  are  well  informed  and  educated,  have 
a  right  to  rely  upon  the  authorities  of  the  Church 
for  well-furnished  ministers.  In  cases  where  a 
call  has  been  inadvertently  made  out  to  candi 
dates,  such  as  have  been  referred  to,  experience 
soon  reveals  imperfections  of  ministerial  qualifi 
cation  which  other  congregations  in  rotation  are 
left  to  the  misfortune  of  discovering. 

"4.  Superficial  training  brings  into  discredit 
the  Board  of  Education,  and  the  Church's  entire 
system  of  benevolent  aid.  A  large  part  of  the 
candidates  of  our  Church  require  assistance  in 
the  prosecution  of  their  studies;  and  such  assist 
ance  can  only  be  rendered  by  retaining  the  con 
fidence  of  the  people  in  the  working  of  the  sys 
tem.  Every  incompetent  or  ill-trained  minister 
is  a  herald  of  wo  to  our  educational  operations. 
The  amount  of  evil  which  a  single  man  can  thus 
inflict  upon  the  plans  of  our  Church,  it  is  not  easy 
to  estimate.  The  suspicion,  even,  of  laxity  in 
our  system,  retards  its  efficiency,  and  impairs  its 


APPENDIX.  209 

capacity  of  usefulness.  No  good  cause  can  be 
sustained  in  the  midst  of  the  indifference  and 
lukewanmiess  produced  by  authenticated  failures. 
The  Board  of  Education,  and  the  whole  agency 
of  our  Church  in  providing  for  the  education  of 
indigent  youth,  can  only  be  successfally  admin 
istered  on  the  principle  of  a  strict,  unvarying, 
and  high  standard  of  ministerial  qualification. 

"5.  The  Theological  Seminaries  of  our  Church 
have  also  a  great  interest  in  preventing  unfur 
nished  men  from  entering  upon  the  ministry. 
They  will  lose  also  the  confidence  of  the  public 
just  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  badly  quali 
fied  men  allowed  to  go  forth  from  their  walls.  It 
is  in  vain  for  them  to  deny  all  participation  in 
this  shortening  of  the  course  of  studies.  The 
public  has  not  the  means  of  knowing  in  each  case 
where  the  responsibility  rests;  and  the  odium  al 
most  always  falls  at  last  upon  the  institution 
which  has  had  the  misfortune  of  enrolling  the 
names  upon  its  catalogue. 

"  6.  The  general  character  and  prosperity  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  are  identified  with  raising, 
instead  of  lowering,  the  standard  of  ministerial 
qualification.  If  there  be  any  one  thing  on 
which,  under  God,  our  resources  for  blessing  the 
world  depend,  it  is  the  character  of  our  ministers 
18 


210  APPENDIX. 

— not  merely  their  character  for  piety,  which 
they  possess  in  common  with  the  ministers  of 
other  evangelical  denominations,  but  their  char 
acter  for  learning  also.  The  Board  would  by  no 
means  magnify  the  latter  above  the  former.  The 
true  and  safe  course  is  to  insist  upon  both. 
This  policy  has  been  instrumental  in  giving  to 
our  Church  an  influence  which  could  have  been 
secured  in  no  other  manner.  And  our  present 
prosperity  can  only  be  perpetuated,  in  divine 
Providence,  by  the  maintenance  of  strict,  and 
even  stern  views  of  qualification  for  the  sanctu 
ary.  The  men  who  are  the  instruments  of  ac 
complishing  the  most  for  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
are  neither  inferior  in  natural  endowment  nor  in 
culture.  The  demands  of  the  age,  the  increas 
ing  stature  of  the  ministers  of  other  denomina 
tions,  and,  in  short,  every  consideration  derived 
from  the  word  of  God  and  the  history  of  the 
Church,  in  favor  of  a  well-trained  ministry,  urge 
our  Presbyteries  to  discourage  the  shortening  of 
the  theological  course,  to  which  some  candidates 
are  always  prone. 

In  conclusion,  the  Board  would  again  affirm 

that,  whilst  there  are  exceptions  to  the  necessity 

of  rpmriring  in  all  cases  a  three-years'  course  of 

;ical  study,  especially  under  the  circum- 


APPENDIX.  211 

stances  of  a  thorough  preliminary  training,  and 
peculiar  natural  or  spiritual  endowments,  it  is 
their  decided  conviction  that  such  indulgence 
should  very  rarely  indeed  be  granted  those  can 
didates  who  are  assisted  by  the  special  funds  of 
the  Church,  collected  under  the  plea  of  a  full  and 
thorough  ministerial  preparation.  The  Board 
are  also  satisfied  that  the  individual  cases  which 
have  called  forth  these  remarks,  are  by  no  means 
clear  exceptions,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  two- 
thirds  of  the  students  in  our  Seminaries  might, 
with  equal  propriety,  turn  their  backs  upon  the 
instructions  there  offered  by  able  professors. 
Further,  in  submitting  these  remarks  to  the 
Church  at  large,  the  Board  have  designedly  avoid 
ed  allusions  to  any  Presbytery  in  particular,  ex 
cept  so  far  as  a  knowledge  of  recent  cases  may 
exist;  and  a  general  aUusion  to  these  is  the  cause 
and  the  j  ustification  of  coming  before  the  public 
at  all. 

"Praying  for  that '  wisdom  which  is  profitable 
to  direct,'  and  for  that  harmony  which  is  a  'good 
and  pleasant  sight  to  see'  in  Zion,  the  Board  re 
spectfully  submit  these  remarks  for  candid  con 
sideration. 

"In  behalf  of  the  Board  of  Education, 

"C.  VAN  RENSSELAER,  Vor.  >Sfo." 


212  APPENDIX. 

Young  men  thus  thoroughly  trained  will  be  an 
ornament  to  their  profession,  and  a  blessing  to 
the  Church.  To  raise  up  a  large  number  of  such 
men  is  the  design  of  the  Board  of  Education. 
For  this  intelligent  Christians  are  offering  their 
prayers  and  giving  their  money.  Let  not  their 
hopes  be  disappointed  by  the  want  of  perseve 
rance  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  to  become  the 
future  ministers  of  our  country.  We  greatly 
need  an  increase  of  nwnbers.  "The  harvest  is 
plenteous  and  the  laborers  few."  We  rejoice  that 
the  pious  are  sending  up  continually  their  devout 
petitions  to  "the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send 
forth  laborers  into  the  harvest."  May  their 
prayers  be  heard.  May  the  spirit  of  preaching 
the  gospel  animate  the  breasts  of  thousands  of 
our  baptized  youth.  "The  Lord  hath  need  of 
them."  The  field  is  wide,  and  fast  ripening  for 
the  harvest.  A  voice  from  heaven  seems  to  say, 
"When  shall  we  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?" 
0  that  our  young  Samuels  would  every  where  re 
spond  to  the  call,  and  devote  themselves  in  ear 
ly  life  to  this  sacred  service.  Let  Christian 
mothers  dedicate  their  sons,  as  Samuel's  mother 
did  him,  to  the  holy  office.  But  let  those  who 
are  called,  not  forget  that  obedience  to  the  divine 
call  involves  a  preparation.  Not  to  run,  when 


APPENDIX.  213 

God  says,  Go,  would  be  an  act  of  disobedience 
which  no  one  can  excuse.  But  the  Divine  call 
must  be  interpreted  scripturally.  Though  a  man 
may  be  truly  called,  it  is  obvious  that  lie  is  re 
quired  to  wait  until  "his  tidings  are  ready.''  To 
run  before  he  is  sent,  is  kindred  in  its  character 
to  a  refusal  to  go  when  God  bids  him. 


ERRATUM. 

Instead  of  "forxnance,  or"  on  page  37,  first  line,  read  for  romance. 


A  NEW    WORK   ON   BAPTISM. 


31  /nmiliar  £mlm  n  ClpMim  3Jfl|itism, 

ILLUSTRATED   WITH    ENGRAVINGS, 

Btsfgtuto  (or  JJounfl  Cfcrfstlans  zrits  iJaptiatto  CfjirDrrn. 
BY  JAMES  WOOD,  D.  D. 

Professor    in    New  Albany   Theological  Seminary,    Indiana. 
PUBUSHED    BY   JOHN    B.    ANDERSON,    NEW   ALBANY. 


OPINIONS    OF  THE    PRESS. 

The  Editor  of  the  Presbyterian  Herald,  says  :  "  Dr.  Wood's  work  is 
a  clear,  concise,  and  fort-Uric  presentation  of  the  arguments  in  favor  of 
infant  l>apti.-m  by  .-prinkliug  or  pouring,  and  is  written  in  a  kind  con 
ciliatory  spirit,  adapted  to  the  common  understanding." 

A  correspondent  of  the  same  paper  remarks  :  "  We  hail  with  joy  the 
appearance  of  Dr.  Wood's  volume.  ....  Though  t he,  author  may  not 
have  removed  all  the  difficulties  an  opponent  may  urge,  he  has  fairly 
met  many  of  them,  and  in  a  spirit  so  kind  and  fraternal  as  to  invite  an 

equally  candid  examination  from  the  other  side It  is  concise 

and  compressed,  and  yet  comprehensive  in  its  range  of  thought.  In 
this  the  author  has  obtained  the  happy  medium  which  it  must  be  con 
fessed  many  other  writers  on  this  topic  have  missed It  is 

neither  so  large  as  to  be  expensive,  nor  so  small  as  to  be  imperfect.  .  . 
A  third  and  chief  excellence  of  this  work  is  its  admirable  adaptation  to 

Sabbath  School  and  Bible  Class  instruction For  this  purpose 

it  contains  a  complete  list  of  questions,  whose  answers  compose  the  book. 
Having  examined  the  questions  with  some  care,  I  am  prepared  to  adopt 
the  book  as  a  text  book  in  my  Sabbath  Schools,  and  hope  to  accomplish 
much  by  its  instrumentality.  And  if  I  do  not  over  estimate  this  vol 
ume,  it  will  yet  be  introduced  into  riTany  Sabbath  Schools,  where  the 
object  is  to  train  the  youth  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  as  we  under 
stand  them Of  the  engravings,  the  paper,  the  whole  appear 
ance  of  the  volume,  we  can  only  say,  it  is  highly  creditable  to  those 
engaged  in  its  production. 

The  Presbyterian  observes  :  "  This  treatise  is  excellent  in  matter  and 
manner,  and  remarkably  well  adapted  for  family  reading.  The  argu 
ment  is  strongly  stated,  and  with  all  the  boasting  of  Immersionists  it 
cannot  be  overthrown.  We  hope  it  may  be  widely  circulated." 

The  New  York  Evangelist  contains  the  following  :  "  There  are  some 
excellent  qualities  which  will  commend  this  work  —  its  perspicuity  of 


arrangement  aud  argument  —  its  fairness  and  freedom  from  a  contro 
versial  and  acrimonious  spirit  —  and  its  thoroughness  of  discussion. 
It  first  treats  of  the  mode,  then  the  subjects,  then  |the_irnportance,  of 
the  ordinance  of  Baptism  ;  and  embraces  tin  its  range  of  argument,  a 
copious  exegesis  of  all  the  Scriptural  passages  relating  to  the  doctrine. 
The  engravings  of  Taylor's  work  on  baptism,  taken  from  ancient  mod 
els,  and  illustrating  Scripture  history,  are  also  added.  "VVe  think  that 
pedobaptists  will  find  the  work  a  very  useful,  convenient,  and  sugges 
tive  manual  on  this  subject,  and  all  the  better  adapted  to  their  wants 
and  wishes,  because  undertaking  no  controversial  office,  and  aiming 
simply  to  inform  and  strengthen  the  faith  of  those  who  find  a  sufficient 
warrant  for  affusion,  and  for  infant  baptism,  to  justify  them  in  practis 
ing  them.  We  hope  the  days  of  controversy  and  religious  tilting  with 
our  Baptist  brethren  are  over." 

A  synopsis  of  this  work  is  given  in  the  Presbyterian  Magazine,  thus ; 
"  The  matter  of  this  excellent  treatise  on  Baptism  is  divided  into  three 
parts.  Part  I.  discusses  the  mode  of  administering  the  ordinance,  in 
which  the  true  scriptural  theory  is  admirably  presented.  Part  II. 
examines  the  proper  subjects  of  baptism.  The  right  of  children  to  this 
ordinance  is  proved  from  their  membership  in  the  Old  Testament 
Church,  which  is  identical  with  the  present  church,  from  Christ's  treat 
ment  of  little  children,  from  our  Saviour's  last  commission  and  the 
practice  of  the  Apostles  under  it,  and  from  historical  proofs.  Part  III. 
brings  to  view  the  benefits  of  Christian  baptism .  After  showing  that 
baptism  is  not  a  saving  ordinance,  and  that  the  baptism  of  believers  is 
a  seal  of  public  profession  of  religion,  Dr.  Wood  maintains  that  bap 
tism  is  beneficial  to  infants.  1.  From  its  connection  with  that  gra 
cious  covenant  which  God  entered  into  with  believing  parents  and  their 
children.  2.  From  its  tendency  to  secure  to  the  child  early  religious 
instruction.  3.  By  bringing  the  child  into  important  relations  to  the 
church,  and  securing  valuable  church  privileges.  4.  By  its  influences 
on  parents  and  the  church,  and  through  them  on  children.  All  these 
points  are  well  illustrated  and  enforced.  The  Spirit  of  the  book  is 
free  from  sectarian  acrimony,  and  is  serious  and  persuasive.  A  man 
who  writes  in  such  a  spirit  will  find  readers  to  appreciate  his  arguments . 
The  engravings  and  general  appearance  of  the  book,  like  the  kindly 
manners  of  a  man  of  sense,  contribute  to  the  gratification  of  those  who 
hold  intercourse  with  it.  The  engravings  are  twelve  in  number,  and 
are  an  apt  emblem  of  apostolic  argument.  We  ought  to  add  that,  al 
though  the  title  of  this  work  on  baptism  has  a  modest  reference  to 
young  Christians,  it  is  well  suited  to  all,  old  and  young." 

The  New  York  Observer  says  concerning  it :  "  This  is  one  of  the 
best  popular  treatises  on  the  subject  of  Baptism  that  we  have  been  led 
to  examine.  The  author  states  his  points  clearly,  and  supports  them 
with  cogent  arguments  well  adapted  to  the  minds  of  those  to  whom 
they  are  addressed.  A  series  of  questions  is  added,  to  aid  parents  iu 
instructing  their  children  in  the  book.  Its  thorough  study  in  the  fam 
ily,  would  be  productive  of  great  intellectual  and  moral  benefits." 

The  book  is  also  noticed  favorably  by  the  Presbyterian  Advocate, 
Presbyterian  of  the  West,  Presbyterian  Record,  Central  Christian  Her 
ald,  and  the  Watchman  and  Evangelist. 


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